Fear No Evil
by sofia313
Summary: Nadine, Lucien's sister, learned the meaning of cruelty when she witnessed her family being slaughtered by Count de Martel's men. Now she and her brother are forced to serve the man who took everything from them. They thought there can be no greater evil until one day they are facing the beasts known as the Mikaelsons.
1. Chapter 1

**Part 1**

France, 1002

Nadine, a young servant girl, stood in the hallway and stared at the wine goblet she was holding. It was a silver goblet and the wine was the most finest in France, made especially for his grace, Count de Martel. Her master. Nadine's face remained stoic when she took a quick look around before spitting in the goblet. She had done that many times before, hoping that she would have some poison to put in the wine instead of her spit. Well, it was better than nothing.

"Nadine!" Lucien's tense voice suddenly hissed.

She hadn't noticed her brother, but she didn't startle.

"What do you think you are doing?" he whispered and grabbed her arm. "If anyone else would have seen you…"

She looked at her brother calmly, making him to sigh tiredly.

"You would have been flogged or something worse. Is that what you want?"

The truth was that she didn't care much what would happen to her, she was too dead inside, but she did care about her brother, the only family she had left. She couldn't bear to see him so distressed, so she shook her head. Lucien leaned towards her and put his hands on her shoulders.

"Promise me that you will never do that again," he demanded.

She didn't want to give that kind of promise, but she did. For Lucien.

"Thank you," he sighed and kissed her cheek after she nodded. "I cannot lose you too, sister, I cannot."

She would have wanted to smile at him, but she couldn't. She hadn't been able to smile or speak a word after seeing her parents and her two little brothers getting killed. The soldiers had laughed when they had tortured her father, raped her mother and hung her brothers. She had been hiding under the floor like a coward. The cries of her family haunted her every night. Lucien didn't know all those horrible details and she never wanted him to know. He already hated himself enough for serving the man who had got their family killed. All because their father, a simple merchant, had been accused to be a traitor, to plot against Count de Martel.

Lucien had been sent to serve the count when he had been a young boy, just like the customs required. Count de Martel was the ruler of Marseille and his subjects were basically his property. Servants who tried to run were hunted down and punished in very brutal ways. Nadine hated "his grace" with every fiber of her being, but she wasn't foolish enough to think that she could ever hurt him. Lucien would pay the price and she would never let that happen. Gently she touched his cheek and placed her hand on his chest above his heart.

"I love you too, sister," he murmured. "Now you must go, his grace is waiting for his wine."

She nodded and quickly entered the great hall. Count de Martel was sitting on his throne, as usual, carelessly observing his lackeys, also known as his court. They all wanted to please him in order to improve their own position. Count de Martel was just talking with his son, Lord Tristan. According to Nadine's experience, he was just as bad as or perhaps even worse than his father, he tortured people for sport. He had asked his father to have Nadine as his personal servant soon after she had been brought to Lucien when their neighbors had found her wandering in the woods. That had been almost two years ago.

She hated Lord Tristan almost as much as she hated his father, but she had never shown it. She didn't show any emotion because she didn't usually feel much anything. Then there was Lady Aurora, the count's daughter. Most lords in the court would have given pretty much anything if she would have paid attention to them. She knew how beautiful she was and she had got used to getting what she wanted. Unfortunately poor Lucien had lost his heart to her. He had always been a gentle and kindhearted man, perhaps sometimes too kindhearted. Nadine knew that this woman would rip his heart out and stomp on it.

Lord Tristan would no doubt do that literally if he would ever find out about Lucien's feelings. Silently Nadine approached the throne and curtsied briefly before handing the wine goblet to Count de Martel. He didn't pay any attention to her, he never did, she might have as well been invisible. Lord Tristan however glanced at her with his cold eyes. Many servant girls were afraid of him, but Nadine wasn't. He had groped her few times and often he ordered her to bathe him and massage his feet, but fortunately he didn't take servants to his bed, he was too high and mighty for that.

"Bring me some wine too, girl," he ordered.

Nadine curtsied and backed away, she wasn't allowed to turn her back on them. Who would want to turn their back to snakes anyway? They were nothing but evil, monsters who called themselves noblemen. There certainly was nothing noble about them.

* * *

2 days later

"Make sure he feels welcome," Count de Martel stated. "He is an important man."

"Yes, your grace," Lucien replied.

"And take some servant girl with you in case there are ladies in his party. They might need some assistance."

"Any servant girl, your grace?"

"Yes, any girl who knows how to behave."

Lucien suppressed a smile, he knew exactly who to take with him. Hopefully Nadine would enjoy taking a ride to the harbor. She didn't have many things to enjoy these days, poor thing. Lucien had been away from his family for so many years that he hadn't really got to know his brothers, but he had always been very close with Nadine when they had been children. She had been a babbly and lighthearted girl, always following him around. There wasn't much left of that girl anymore. Someday Lucien would find a way to take her and hopefully Aurora far away from this place.


	2. Chapter 2

**Part 2**

Monsters. Demons. Horrible beasts. Lucien had never been so scared in his life. He and Nadine had been on their way back to the castle with Count de Martel's guests when these creatures had appeared from nowhere and yanked people off the carriage one by one. There had been screams and begs, but it had made no difference. One of these creatures had actually laughed while grabbing Lord de Quise's begging nephew. The lord had been traveling with his much younger, very beautiful wife, brother, nephew and personal valet.

He had been rude and arrogant, just like all the lords and his wife had treated Nadine like a worthless slave. Clearly the lady had always gotten what she wanted, the lord had worshiped her. Now they were all dead. Lucien had managed to grab Nadine and hid them in the carriage under the cover. Fortunately the beasts had been too occupied to notice them, at least not yet. Lucien's arms were tightly around his sister; his heart was beating like a drum and he was shaking. Nadine hadn't made a sound and she didn't even try to move.

"Who's ready for the next course?" a cheerful voice asked. It was the demon who had laughed.

"You are all filthy savages," another male voice snorted, he sounded appalled.

"And you will remain forever the dullard," the first voice replied.

"Such pretty clothes," a female voice sighed. "What a shame they will go to waste."

"Rebekah, we have discussed this," a third male voice huffed.

"No, you have discussed this, none of us had any say in the matter," the female voice argued. "These people were traveling somewhere, just look at their cart. Silks and jewels. Five of them, five of us. Where ever they were off to, why cannot we just go there instead?"

"Masquerading as nobles from the land we don't know and whose customs we cannot begin to understand. Ridiculous."

"You saw the castle down the road; that must be where this bunch was going. Look at them; they are not any better than we are. We can live as they do, at least for a time. Think of it, Elijah, we can hide in plain sight, we can live ordinary lives…"

"Silence," the third voice interrupted her.

Suddenly it was very quiet, Lucien was afraid to breathe. His heart was pounding even faster, he held his sister tighter. She touched his hand in a calming gesture. Then the cover was suddenly yanked off them. Lucien acted instinctively; he was on his feet in a second. Nadine was right behind him, he grabbed her hand and tried to run, but a blonde woman appeared in front of him. The other beasts had surrounded them.

"Aren't you a handsome one," the woman stated, she was observing Lucien curiously. A dark-haired man who had blood all over his face stepped next to the woman.

"He looks like dessert to me."

Lucien didn't have time to say anything when Nadine stepped in front of him. The dark-haired man seemed amused.

"Well, hello there, darling. You look even more delicious than he does." He paused and glanced at the other men. "This one is mine."

Nadine arched her back like a cat that was ready to attack. That amused the dark-haired man even more.

"Trying to protect him, are you? How sweet."

"Is she your wife?" the woman asked, she didn't sound pleased.

Lucien was still terrified, but he managed to shake his head.

"No, no, my sister."

The dark-haired man took a step towards Nadine and grinned.

"Funny, unlike the "brave" chap's here, your heartbeat sounds quite steady. You should be very afraid right about now, darling, but… It seems that you are not. Why is that?"

Nadine didn't say anything or backed away, she was ready to defend Lucien to the end.

"She is a mute," Lucien managed to say. "Please, don't hurt her; I can be useful to you." He paused and tried to stop his voice from shaking, he needed to think and fast. "I-I'm the personal servant of Count de Martel, I can help you." He paused again and quickly glanced at the three men standing behind him, they were all observing him. "I was sent to escort these guests to his home; I know their customs as well as the count's habits. If you want to pose as the family you have…slaughtered here, you will need my help."

All the beasts were quiet for a moment, hopefully considering Lucien's words. Cautiously he looked at them all in turns; the dark-haired man was still looking at Nadine. That wasn't a good thing; Lucien didn't like the look in his eyes at all. He needed to find some way to save his sister, poor Nadine had already suffered more than enough.

"Please can we keep him?" the woman asked pleadingly.

"Rebekah, no," the man she had called Elijah replied firmly. "What is our most important rule?"

The woman sighed.

"Never leave alive someone who…"

"…has seen what we are," they all finished in unison.

"Yes, thank you very much. Now…"

"Wait, wait, please," Lucien said quickly and moved next to Nadine. He felt how tense she was when he took her hand. "Please, spare my sister, she is innocent and she cannot tell anyone about you. Please, we can both serve you."

"Really?" the dark-haired man asked smiling. "You want to serve me, darling? How about you show me how you are planning to do that."

"Enough, Kol," the woman huffed and looked at the forth man who hadn't said anything yet. "Nik? I want to keep him and go to that castle. Why could we not do that?"

"She has a point," the man who had called the others savages stated before the man called Nik managed to reply. "He could be useful to us. And I cannot see the need of killing a mute servant girl. "

Elijah didn't seem pleased at all.

"Finn…"

"Perhaps we should put it to a vote," Nik stated. "All those in favor for letting him live?"

Lucien squished Nadine's hand and looked at the beasts nervously. Rebekah and Finn raised their hand.

"Those who want to gut him?" Kol asked and raised his hand. So did Elijah. "And letting me have the girl," Kol added.

Elijah rolled his eyes, but he didn't say anything. Kol smirked.

"Well, well, it's a tie. What do you say, Nik?"

Lucien swallowed and looked at the man who was holding his life in his hands. He seemed tense and unsure of what to do. Suddenly Nadine let go of Lucien's hand and approached Nik.

"Nadine," Lucien murmured tensely.

Nik was clearly surprised when the girl stepped in front of him. Silently she looked into his eyes and carefully touched his chest above his heart.

"You think that a monster would have a heart?" Nik stated.

She didn't reply in any way, she simply kept looking at him. He was quiet for a while, observing Nadine before glancing at Lucien.

"I believe I would want to try the life of a nobleman."

Lucien nodded eagerly and bowed.

"Yes, my lord, I will be more than happy to teach you everything you need to know."

"Thank you, Nik!" Rebekah cheered and clapped her hands, she was more than excited.

Elijah sighed and raised his hands in surrender.

"Fine then, but do not tell me that I did not warn you."

Kol crossed his arms and frowned.

"I am still keeping the girl, I reserved her."

Nadine moved next to Lucien and glared at Kol.

"No one is keeping anyone," Elijah huffed. "You need to behave, Kol, if we are planning to be noblemen."

"Sure, brother," Kol replied innocently.

Lucien certainly didn't like the way Kol was looking at Nadine, but right now he needed to concentrate on keeping them both alive. Perhaps Count de Martel was a monster, but now he was about to finally meet his match.


	3. Chapter 3

**Part 3**

"Thank you," a calm voice stated.

Nadine was surprised for hearing those words; she certainly didn't hear them very often. She looked at the beast called Finn and nodded. She had just helped him to wear the tunic of Lord de Quise's brother and brushed his hair. First she had of course helped Rebekah; she was now standing next to the carriage talking with Lucien who was explaining her some basic etiquette. Elijah and Niklaus were getting rid of the bodies and Kol had made himself comfortable in the carriage, he was observing Finn and Nadine. So far it seemed that the beasts were going to let Nadine and Lucien live. She wasn't afraid for her own life, not really, but she was willing to do whatever she needed to do to keep Lucien safe.

"My turn," Kol announced when Nadine was finished brushing Finn's hair.

Lucien looked at Kol tensely; he still had blood on his face.

"With all due respect, my lord, perhaps you should clean yourself up a little first."

"That is exactly what I am planning to do," Kol replied and stood up, he didn't bother to even look at Lucien. Kol grinned and picked up the tunic of Lord de Quise's nephew before marching over to Nadine.

"Come, darling, I believe I will need a hand."

"I will be more than happy to assist you, my lord," Lucien said quickly.

"No," Kol replied, keeping his eyes on Nadine. "She will do that. Will you not, darling?"

Nadine looked at him coolly and nodded. She didn't feel any fear, although she knew that he was probably planning to hurt her. Maybe that would have concerned her if she would have cared about her life. The truth was that she didn't care; she had hated herself for the last two years. A coward like her didn't deserve to live when she had simply watched her family's suffering without even trying to save them. Her poor brothers had cried out for her when the soldiers had dragged them outside after brutally killing their parents and she had done nothing. She had just let those innocent children to die. Perhaps this was finally her punishment.

"My lord, please…" Lucien started.

"Kol," Finn huffed. "Leave the girl alone, you just fed. And you need to honor the agreement we made with her brother."

Kol rolled his eyes before glancing at Finn.

"I am not planning to feed on her; I simply want her to help me like she just helped you. I need to look like a nobleman, don't I?"

"Yes, but…"

"Good, we are going to the river then, I need to wash up." He paused briefly and looked at Nadine. "Come."

Reluctantly she followed him; she had the hairbrush with her. The river wasn't far; he didn't say anything before they reached it.

"Well," he started grinning and took his tunic off. "Serve me then."

Her face was callous when she took the tunic from him and walked over to the riverbank. He didn't say anything when she soaked the piece of clothing in the water and returned to him. Calmly she started to clean his face with the wet tunic.

"You have a nice touch, darling," he stated after a moment of silence. "What I cannot understand is why you are not afraid of me. Any smart person would be."

She concentrated on her task, ignoring his words. When she was finished, she helped him to wear the new tunic and moved behind him. She had to push up on her toes in order to brush his hair, he was a tall man.

"I could get used to this," he hummed. "I have sometimes considered of getting myself a human slave…"

Before she managed to stop herself, she pulled his hair quite roughly with the brush. No more than a second later he had turned around and grabbed her arms.

"Not very smart, darling," he snarled. "Perhaps you are foolish enough for not being afraid of me, but I think your brother is going to be more than afraid when I skin him."

Now Nadine was definitely afraid, if anything would happen to Lucien because of her… She shook her head pleadingly and quickly kneeled in front of Kol, praying that he would accept her apology. It made now difference how she needed to humiliate herself; she would do it without hesitation.

"Well, well," he purred after a brief silence. "You really love your brother. I bet you would do anything for him."

She pressed her lips together and nodded. He offered her his hand and helped her to her feet.

"Now, here's the problem. Normally when someone hurts me, I simply…well, kill them. Why should I not do that now?"

She looked into his eyes and bowed her head. Hopefully he would name his price.

"Perhaps I can forgive you this one time, but you will have to give me something in return."

She gritted her teeth and nodded, although she felt sick to her stomach. The thought of letting a monster to deflower her was horrible, but it didn't really matter in the end. He didn't really need her consent anyway.

"A kiss."

She looked up, surely she had misheard him. He smirked and touched her hair.

"You see, darling, my siblings and I have been traveling for a while now, I have spent every boring moment with them because my brother insists that we must stay together. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy traveling and killing, but it has been a while since I have had a chance to properly taste a woman." He paused and touched her cheek. "Fortunately for you, I happen to like feisty little things like you, so… Give me a kiss that pleases me and we are even. Your brother can keep his miserable life."

She really wasn't sure if he was serious or not, but she thought that giving him what he wanted would be the smartest thing to do at the moment, although it was very unlikely that he would settle for a kiss. She stepped in front of him, raised her head, closed her eyes and pouted her lips.

"You expect me to do all the work?" he stated, a note of amusement clear in his voice.

She opened her eyes and looked at him cautiously. He was still smirking when he ran his thumb up to the corner of her mouth and moistened it between her lips.

"You haven't done this before, have you?"

She kept her head proudly up, thrusting out her chin, but she had to struggle to hold still when he leaned towards her.

"Allow me to show you, darling," he purred.

She tensed when he wrapped an arm around her waist and drew her tight against him. Softly his lips tasted hers, she felt him brushing his tongue over her lips. When she got over her confusion, her first thought was that this didn't feel so bad. She knew that she should have been nothing but repulsed, she had just washed off the blood of the man he had killed. He was a monster; he had wanted to kill Lucien. Yet some very small foolish part of her wasn't repulsed. That made her nothing but disgusted with herself.

The kiss was almost gentle at first; he kept the tempo slow, like he would have wanted her to enjoy it. Soon his mouth became more dominant and demanding, his tongue penetrated deep into her mouth. She didn't like that; her heart was pounding fast when her hands went to his chest, feeling the need to push him away. Somehow she managed to stop herself from doing that; she needed to do this for Lucien. She was panting when he finally pulled away, looking utterly pleased with himself.

"I knew I could speed your heartbeat up," he hummed and touched her blushed cheek.

"Kol?" Niklaus' voice said before Nadine managed to recover enough to react. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing," Kol replied innocently and winked at Nadine before turning to look at his brother. Niklaus hadn't got changed yet, he had the new tunic with him. "She's all yours, brother," Kol stated cheerily and marched away. Nadine felt too embarrassed and exposed to look at Niklaus, she was sure that he could see what had happened. Slowly he walked over to her, but he didn't touch her.

"Did my brother hurt you?" he asked.

Somehow she managed to shake her head.

"Alright… Listen…Nadine, was it?"

She nodded.

"If my brother bothers you, I want you to come to me; I will make sure that he behaves."

Nadine looked up; she honestly couldn't understand why he would do something like that. He gave her a tense smile and a nod.

"I think I need to get ready."

His tunic was bloody because he had carried the bodies; Nadine helped him to take it off and went to soak it. He looked surprised when she started to clean his face.

"You don't have to do that," he muttered.

She pointed at herself and bowed briefly.

"Yes, I know you are a servant, but… I have never had any servants."

Still he let her finish and raised his arms when she dressed him. She had got used to this with Lord Tristan. Lastly she brushed Niklaus' hair.

"Thank you, Nadine," he said. "How do I look?"

She nodded and briefly touched his arm, earning a more relaxed smile from him.

"Good."

Maybe this man was a beast like the others, but he had also saved Lucien's life. That was something Nadine would never forget.


	4. Chapter 4

**Part 4**

Nadine bit her bottom lip when they finally arrived at the castle; she hoped that everything would go well. She couldn't have cared less what the beasts would do to all the "noblemen", but she was worried about Lucien. Clearly the beasts had never been in a place like this, they were all looking around curiously when the carriage passed the gatehouse. A young stable boy called Florent appeared next to the carriage immediately when they arrived at the courtyard, he probably knew how important these guests were.

"My lords, my lady," he said and bowed respectfully.

The beasts seemed unsure of how to react.

"Hello," Rebekah greeted the boy, she sounded a bit nervous. Florent could barely hide his astonishment, noblemen and noblewomen didn't speak to low servants unless they were giving them orders. Lucien had explained that to the beasts, but apparently Rebekah had forgotten. Quickly Lucien jumped to the ground and offered his hand to Rebekah.

"My lady."

Nadine stayed in the carriage when Lucien assisted Rebekah. Her brothers got out as well; Niklaus offered his hand to Nadine. That was another mistake, a big one, noblemen certainly didn't assist servants.

"My lord," Lucien said tensely, Florent was staring at them. "May I escort you to his grace?"

Niklaus frowned and glanced at Lucien.

"Where I come from, we respect women," he responded without lowering his hand. Calmly he turned his eyes back to Nadine. "Please."

Nadine was confused, no one except Lucien had ever done this for her, but she obeyed as quickly as she could. The last thing she wanted was to draw any more attention to them. From the corner of her eye she noticed that Kol was grinning and Elijah seemed tense to say the least. Finn on the other hand was looking at Niklaus approvingly.

"Well said, brother," he stated.

Nadine kept her eyes down when Niklaus took her hand and helped her to the ground. Servants didn't look noblemen in the eye without their order. She curtsied as humbly as she could and bowed her head. He was about to say something, but Lucien managed to speak first.

"This way, my lords, my lady," he said as calmly as he could. Nadine could easily tell how nervous her poor brother was and she was willing to do whatever she had to in order to help him.

"Nadine?" Florent whispered when she was about to follow Lucien and the beasts, they were already on their way to the entrance. "Be careful."

She looked at him and saw the concern in his eyes. It surprised her, although he had always been polite to her. There was no need to ask what he meant; he feared that these guests were planning to take certain liberties with her. That happened sometimes and the unfortunate servant girls simply had to take it. Nadine hadn't experienced something like that, at least not yet. As unpleasant as it was for her to admit it, she probably needed to thank Lord Tristan for that. Being his personal servant did have some perks. Everyone knew how cruel and unforgiving his nature was, he didn't share his property with anyone.

Nadine touched Florent's arm and gave him a nod, wanting to somehow thank him for his concern. He didn't have a chance to say anything else when she hurried inside. Lucien was leading the beasts slowly across the grand hallway; they were looking around in wonder. The castle truly was luxurious, but Nadine hadn't really paid much attention to that when she had been brought here. She hadn't paid much attention to anything, she had been too traumatized. She startled when Kol was suddenly standing in front of her.

"Your suitor?" he asked casually, apparently referring to Florent.

She stared at him for a brief moment before quickly looking down.

"No need to be shy, darling," he hummed. "It doesn't suit you anyway. And I think we are quite acquainted with one another already. You know, my tongue being in your mouth and all."

She clenched her fists and forced herself to hold still when he leaned towards her, she had to fight against her urge to kick him between the legs.

"What do you think, how hospitable your master is?" he asked. "I am going to need a servant while I am here."

For the first time in a long time Nadine almost smiled. If he thought that Count de Martel would simply hand her over to him, he was about to be very disappointed. The thought made her feel malicious; for once she was actually happy for being Tristan's servant. Count de Martel didn't deny anything from his precious son. She suppressed her spiteful smile and humbly curtsied. He didn't have time to continue when Finn's voice called for him.

"Kol!"

"We shall continue this later," he stated and smiled. "Perhaps tonight."

In his dreams. She glanced at him coolly and curtsied again. Bastard. She wasn't afraid of him or anything he could do to her and that was probably the reason why he seemed to be so drawn to her. Men like him, cruel sadistic men, were all alike; she had met plenty of them. Granted, he wasn't really a man, he was some kind of demon or something, but that didn't really make him any different than all those other men. He probably saw her as some kind of amusement, something he could play with until he would get bored. That certainly sounded familiar. She followed him when he joined his siblings; they were just about to enter the throne room.

"Everything is going to go well," Lucien muttered. Nadine wasn't sure if he was talking more to himself or to the beasts. "Just…speak as we practiced."

As usual, the throne room was full of people and Count de Martel was sitting on his throne, greeting his guests and subjects.

"There," Lucien said and cocked his head towards the throne. "That's Count de Martel. You will address him as your grace, all the other nobles my lord. When you speak to the count, you should speak of hunting; he loves his hawks and his hounds. And…" Lucien paused and swallowed before looking at Rebekah. "If I may suggest, bow deep, Lady Rebekah, the count also appreciates a healthy cleavage."

"Who wouldn't?" Kol muttered and glanced at Nadine. She was more than glad that she was wearing a modest servant's dress.

Rebekah's eyes widened, but she nodded rigidly.

"Right… I understand."

"Rebekah, you do not have to…" Elijah started tensely.

"It's fine," she cut in. "I can do this."

Despite of everything, Nadine felt sympathy for her. Sure many women had to go through much worse, but it was still degrading, especially if she really came from a place where women were treated respectfully. Somehow Nadine couldn't imagine that something like that was even possible, instinctively she glanced at Niklaus. He and Finn were both looking up, admiring the tall walls and the ceiling.

"For heaven's sake, stop looking up," Lucien said tensely when some people started to notice their unusual behavior. They obeyed immediately, trying to remember their roles. Lucien led them towards the throne, but Nadine was stopped by a servant called Laurent. He was few years older than Nadine and most definitely higher in the servant hierarchy. He also served Lord Tristan and he was usually nothing but rude and malevolent, Nadine didn't particularly like him.

"Lord Tristan wants you in his chamber," he whispered. "Right now. And I should warn you, he is not pleased. I believe you are in trouble."


	5. Chapter 5

**Part 5**

Lucien tensed even more when he turned to his sister; she looked at him apologetically and nodded towards the doors. Laurent was standing next to her, looking as friendly as ever. Lucien really couldn't stand him; he was one of Lord Tristan's loyal lackeys. Lucien had heard that Laurent enjoyed humiliating younger servants and executing their punishments. Just like his master. The bastard was looking at Nadine gloatingly; obviously Lord Tristan had sent him to find her. Lucien was more than concerned, he couldn't think of any reason why Lord Tristan would be upset with Nadine.

He hated that she had to serve him, just as much as he hated himself for not being able to do something to help her. Lucien had asked her more than once if Lord Tristan had hurt her, but she had always assured that he hadn't. Hopefully that was true, Lucien didn't think that he could live with himself if poor Nadine had experienced something like that while he, her brother, did nothing. He was a coward, he knew that, and he was ashamed of it.

For so many years he had served these "noble" lords and he had worked hard to improve his position. Many servants would have given a lot to be in his place. Running away would do nothing except get both him and Nadine tortured and killed. Ending up to the dungeons… Lucien couldn't deny that just the thought was terrifying. But to be honest, that wasn't the only reason why he didn't run away. Aurora. He had worshiped her ever since he had laid eyes on her all those years ago. Of course he knew that he was a fool, but he loved her with all his heart. He tried his best to look reassuring and gave Nadine a brief nod before she hurried to the hallway. Focus… It was time to put on a show and he really needed to be convincing.

"Where did your protector go?" Kol asked when they approached the throne.

"To her master," Lucien muttered tensely.

"Who is that?"

"The count's son." Lucien paused and nervously moved a stray hair from Kol's face before turning around. He really, really needed to focus…

"Touch me again and I'll rip your arms straight off," Kol stated, his tone of voice was more than threatening.

Lucien swallowed and tried to pull himself together, for a brief moment he had forgotten who he was dealing with.

"Behave, Kol," Finn snorted. "Or I'll bury you in the ground to rot."

"I would like to see you try…"

"Enough, Kol," Elijah hissed.

"This isn't going to work, is it?" Rebekah murmured.

"It will," Lucien assured. "You look lovely, my lady."

Quickly he stepped in front of the throne and bowed.

"Lucien," Count de Martel stated. "You were sent to fetch the Count de Quise."

"Indisposed, your grace. Gout." Lucien paused and gestured the four men and the woman behind him. "May I present his children, the lords Finn, Niklaus, Elijah and Kol. Also the lovely Lady Rebekah."

Count de Martel observed them intently and stood up.

"Your father never mentioned you to me in all our dealings," he stated sharply, a note of suspicion clear in his voice.

An ominous silence followed his words; Lucien was struggling to hide his nervousness. Someone really needed to say something and fast. Elijah was the one who took the lead.

"Yes, your grace, do forgive us," he said smiling politely and moved in front of the throne. "Father was always distant with his travels; we were largely raised by servants. However I do know that father would consider it a glorious honor if we would be introduced to the society by your…noble hand, your grace."

He was good; Lucien had to give him that, although he certainly hadn't forgotten that this man had wanted him dead.

"Your grace," Niklaus said, following his brother's example. "I look forward hearing tales of your hunting escapades, father often told us what an accomplished hunter you are."

Appealing to the count's vanity was a smart move; Lucien could tell that it was working.

"Really?" Count de Martel stated. "Do you hunt, Lord Niklaus?"

"Yes, your grace, I have ever since I was a child. Nothing gives me greater pleasure."

The count seemed amused.

"I doubt you mean that. Or do you not have desirable women in your father's house?"

"We do, your grace," Kol cut in. "And I noticed that some of the women in your house are quite lovely as well." He smiled and glanced at Lucien. "Like his sister."

The count's eyebrows furrowed.

"Sister?"

"Nadine, your grace," Lucien replied tensely, he was struggling not to glare at Kol. "Lord Tristan's personal servant."

"Ah yes, the mute girl." The count paused and looked at Kol. "That one belongs to my son and he does not share his property."

"Of course, your grace," Elijah said quickly before Kol managed to speak. "Please forgive my brother; I can assure you that he means no disrespect."

Kol didn't seem pleased at all, but he smiled.

"Your grace, may I present our sister," Niklaus cut in, apparently wanting to fix the possible damage Kol had done.

Lucien could tell that Rebekah was nervous, but she smiled when she stepped in front of the count and coyly introduced herself. She certainly had the count's undivided attention when she bowed deep; he smiled while clearly enjoying the view.

"Welcome to my home, my lady."

"Thank you, your grace," she replied and blinked her eyes innocently. "My brothers and I are honored to be here."

* * *

Nadine really wouldn't have wanted to leave, but unfortunately she didn't have a choice. She could only hope that everything would go well and Lucien would be safe. Tensely she walked next to Laurent who seemed to be enjoying himself. He probably knew why Lord Tristan was upset with her, but she wouldn't have asked him even if she would have still had a voice. He didn't say anything before they reached the door to Lord Tristan's chamber. She couldn't really understand why he had escorted her here, did he think that she would panic and tried to run? He would no doubt love that.

"Good luck," he stated smiling and knocked the door.

"Enter," Lord Tristan's voice said from inside.

Nadine didn't look at Laurent; she simply pushed the thick door open. Lord Tristan was sitting by the fireplace, staring at the flames. She curtsied when she entered his sumptuous bedchamber.

"Close the door," he ordered without looking up.

She obeyed and stayed in front of the door, keeping her eyes on the floor. She knew better than to move without his order.

"Wine," he stated coolly, he still wasn't looking at her.

Quickly she went to the wine carafe and poured him some wine. She kept her head down and bowed while handing the goblet to him.

"I think I want a foot massage," he said absentmindedly and took a sip out of the goblet; his eyes were still looking at the flames.

Nadine knew him well enough to know that this was calm before storm. For some reason he really was upset with her. She had no idea why, but it didn't really matter. Her face was callous when she kneeled in front of him and carefully took his boots off. This wasn't anything new; she had done this before many times. He didn't say anything when she laid his feet in her lap and started with his right foot. Her thumbs were making circular motions, pressing hard, just the way he liked it. His feet felt quite heavy and her position was uncomfortable, but she had got used to it. That didn't change how much she hated to kneel down in front of him.

"Hmm," he sighed when she switched to his other foot. "Have I ever told you how much I enjoy this?"

No, he hadn't, why would he.

"That is your purpose in this world, is it not? To please me."

No, it certainly wasn't. She gritted her teeth and pressed harder.

"Stand up," he suddenly ordered.

She didn't think that she had pressed too hard, but maybe he had felt her anger. That wasn't a good thing. Quickly she stood up and kept her eyes down, unfortunately she had no idea what to expect. A hit? A kick? Something worse? Lazily he stood up as well and grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him.

"You think you can leave this castle without my permission?" he snarled.

It took a second before she understood what he was talking about, but it didn't make much sense to her. Lucien had said that the count had agreed for Nadine coming with him. Why was Lord Tristan angry about that? He tightened his grip and leaned down, she was much shorter than him.

"My father does not own you," he continued icily. "I do and you will never go anywhere again unless I say so. Do you understand?"

She nodded, keeping her face free from emotion. His face was only inches away from hers; his cold eyes were staring at her piercingly. For a moment she could have sworn that she saw amusement in his eyes.

"Do you know why I like you, puppet?" he asked.

She hated when he called her that, he was most definitely amused when she shook her head.

"It's not just because I enjoy your silence," he stated. "And I do enjoy it. Every day I have to listen to pathetic excuses, endless flattery, boring compliments, unintelligent conversations, whining, pleas, the list goes on and on." He paused and touched her cheek, she couldn't help but to startle. "But you, puppet, you give me the precious gift of silence. I could do anything to you and yet you would remain silent. That is simply beautiful."

She had no idea what kind of reaction he was hoping to get, so she simply held still and looked into his eyes. Not that she had much choice, he hadn't let go of her chin.

"But…" he continued. "That's not the only thing I like about you. No, it's that delightful fury I see in your eyes. You try to hide it, but I can see it clearly. I bet you would stab me in the heart without hesitation if you would ever have a chance."

He smiled and she shook her head.

"Yes, you would, don't bother denying it. My poor puppet, so damaged. I like that, keeping a wild little beast as a pet. You see…" He paused and grabbed her throat. "We both know you will never act on those urges. Perhaps you don't care how you would be punished, but I know how much you care about your brother."

Nadine struggled to stay calm; she wasn't going to react to his words. There was no chance she would give him that satisfaction. Finally he let go of her and sat down.

"Now, where was I…? Ah yes, my father's celebration tonight. I want you to be there and serve me. Only me."

She nodded and forced herself to curtsy.

"Of course you need to bathe first," he continued and leaned back on his seat. "You will do it now."

She was confused until she realized that there was water in the bathtub.

"I myself bathed already and I was upset to learn that my puppet was not here to assist me. The servant who took your place… Let's just say that I was not pleased with her. Now hurry up, undress and bathe."

Nadine turned around and gritted her teeth, she truly hated him. He was only doing this to humiliate her.

"Did I tell you to turn around?" he asked harshly.

For a brief moment she was so tired of all of this that she wanted to give up. All she would have to do was disobey him or even better, attack him. Maybe she would even manage to hurt him. The thought felt more than appealing, but then she remembered Lucien. She couldn't give up, he needed her. No, she would just numb herself a little more and do this. There was no expression on her face when she turned around and started to undress. He took a sip out of his goblet and observed her; she made sure that she didn't look at him.

He didn't say anything when she was naked, so she walked over to the bathtub and climbed in. The water was cold, but that made no difference. She didn't hurry, there was no reason. He could look all he wanted, she didn't care. That was what she kept telling to herself. When she was finished, she stood up and kept her chin proudly up. She felt his eyes on her the whole time, he was approaching the bathtub. Some part inside of her was screaming, but she didn't move. She flinched when something was suddenly wrapped around her. A bathrobe. His bathrobe.

"See, puppet," he hummed and touched her wet hair. "I can be a merciful master, if you earn that. Now get ready, you have a long night ahead of you."


	6. Chapter 6

**Part 6**

Nadine didn't feel anything when she walked across the long hallway towards the great hall. She needed to be there before Lord Tristan, she had just helped him to get dressed. He had wanted her to look decent tonight, so she had plaited her hair and she was wearing her best light blue dress. Despite of being fully clothed, she felt naked. That moment when she had stood there completely exposed, expecting the worst… It had affected her more than she wanted to admit.

That was nothing but pathetic, she was weaker than she had thought. A part of her felt that she would have deserved it, she deserved to be punished, but another part, the coward in her, had silently prayed for mercy. She didn't deserve any mercy. She was so tired, all she wanted was to close her eyes and never wake up… Her thoughts were cut off when someone suddenly grabbed her from behind. She didn't startle, she was too numb for that.

"Hello, darling," Kol's voice whispered in her ear.

She made no attempt to fight him when he pulled her into a smaller hallway and pushed her up against the stone wall. He wasn't rough enough to hurt her, at least not yet. It didn't matter.

"I believe we have some unfinished business to take care of," he purred and touched her cheek. She didn't react in any way; she just stared in front of her with empty eyes. He said something else, but she couldn't hear him. So tired…

"Hey?"

He cupped her face, but she still didn't react.

"Hey? What's wrong with you?"

She closed her eyes and sighed tiredly, hoping that he would just do whatever he was going to do and get it over with.

"Come on," he huffed. "You are ruining my fun. What happened to that feisty little thing?"

Her hands were shaking, but she didn't notice that. All she wanted was for this torture to end. She didn't deserve to live; she should have died with her family two years ago. This was her chance to end her suffering. Slowly she tilted her head; she had noticed how these beasts liked to kill people.

"Come on, what are you doing?"

She opened her eyes and looked into his. If she wouldn't have known better, she would have thought that he looked kind of…confused? He didn't say anything; he just stared at her for a moment before taking a step back.

"Well…" he muttered and crossed his arms. "You are certainly no fun for me like this."

He was gone when she blinked. Oh great, she wasn't good enough even for a monster's supper. She leaned against the wall and took a deep breath; she needed to pull herself together. Wait… She brushed her cheek and felt a tear. Oh no… Had she actually cried in front of him? Perfect. She hadn't cried in two years and this was the time she chose to change that? Idiot. The celebration… She needed to get to the great hall, if Lord Tristan would be there first…. So what? So what if he would find some new ways to humiliate her?

What was the worst he could do, give her to his guards or something… She couldn't take that, she was too weak. It would break her. She gritted her teeth and slapped herself on the cheek; she needed to stop this right now. She hurried back to the long hallway and bumped into someone who was just coming behind a corner. This someone had a hard chest and muscular arms; they were wrapped around her when she almost lost her balance. All her mind was able to comprehend was that someone was touching her against her will. The fighter in her finally woke up, she started to struggle as fiercely as she could, her fists were banging on his chest.

"Hey, hey!" a male voice said. "It's alright; I'm not going to hurt you."

She stopped struggling and clenched her shaking fists. Finally she managed to look up and saw Niklaus' face; his blue eyes were observing her with a worried expression.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

No, she wasn't alright, she was a damn mess.

"Hey…" he muttered and placed his palms on her shoulders. "Have someone hurt you?"

She shook her head and took a deep breath. He was quiet for a moment, thankfully giving her some time to pull herself together. She had just attacked him… Cautiously she looked up and pointed at his chest.

"You mean did you hurt me? No, you didn't."

She nodded gratefully and curtsied.

"It's fine," he muttered. "I apologize if I scared you."

She shook her head; she was finally starting to regain her self-control.

"Listen, would you like me to find your brother…"

Quickly she shook her head; she certainly didn't want Lucien to know about this. She looked at Niklaus pleadingly, pointed at the hallway and shook her head.

"You don't want me to say anything to your brother?"

She nodded. He bit his bottom lip and observed her for a moment before replying.

"Alright, I won't."

She thanked him with a bow and left as quickly as she could, she had already humiliated herself more than enough for one day. What had that been? She couldn't understand what had made her to lose her self-control like that. Nothing had really happened; Lord Tristan hadn't even touched her. How pathetic was she for breaking down because a man had watched her bathe. After what her poor mother had been through before the soldiers had cut her throat, she actually dared to cry because of this? The thought made her to really hate herself.

She was her normal self again when she reached the great hall; fortunately Lord Tristan hadn't arrived yet. She noticed Count de Martel, he was talking to Elijah. Rebekah was talking to the Lady Cecile, one of the youngest ladies in the court. They seemed to be having an interesting conversation.

"Good evening," a male voice suddenly said from behind Nadine's back. Quickly she turned around and curtsied to Finn.

"Quite a celebration," he stated calmly.

She nodded, keeping her eyes on the floor.

"Too many uninteresting people for my taste, to be honest," he continued. "What do you think?"

She had no idea how to reply, so she simply shrugged.

"I hear you," he said, sounding amused. "By the way, you can look at me if you want, I feel foolish talking to you like this."

"My lord," Lucien's voice whispered, he had appeared next to them. "You shouldn't be talking to her; she is not your…equal."

Finn sighed.

"Yes, I am aware of your foolish rules, but she happens to be the only one I know here. And judging by what I have seen and heard, I don't feel much need to get to know the rest of these people."

Nadine could certainly understand him.

"My lord," Lucien whispered tensely. "There is etiquette in the court, I explained that to you."

"Yes, yes," Finn sighed. "It was nice to see you again, Miss Nadine."

"Is everything alright, sister?" Lucien asked after Finn had left. "Did Lord Tristan…"

She shook her head and touched Lucien's arm.

"He didn't hurt you? Are you sure?"

She nodded, hoping that he believed her. Lucien was clearly concerned; she took his hand and squished it. She tensed a little when she noticed Kol entering the hall, but fortunately he didn't pay attention to her.

"Oh no…" Lucien gasped. "The collar of his tunic…"

Nadine looked at Kol and saw immediately what Lucien meant. Blood. Not much, but enough for someone noticing it sooner or later. Quickly Nadine walked over to Kol and curtsied.

"Well, well, someone just can't stay away…"

Tensely she touched the collar of his tunic.

"Oh…" he murmured. "Oops. Thank you, darling."

She breathed a sigh of relief when he left, hopefully planning to get changed. Lucien seemed relieved as well, Niklaus had just appeared next to him. Apparently Niklaus asked him some question. Lucien's response made Niklaus to roll his eyes; he gave Nadine a grateful nod. She nodded too and moved next to the wall, waiting for Lord Tristan. Niklaus stayed next to Lucien, they were talking. Nadine noticed how tense her brother was; both men glanced at her few times during their conversation.

Nadine tensed too, had Niklaus told Lucien what had happened earlier? He had promised not to, but she had no idea if that meant anything. She didn't have time to ponder that for long when Lord Tristan arrived, arm in arm with his sister, the Lady Aurora. She was just as beautiful as always, all the men in the room were admiring her. So were Lucien and Niklaus. Of course they were. Nadine felt that she had just become invisible, until Lord Tristan glanced at her and crooked his finger, ordering her to come to him. Like she would have been a dog. She gritted her teeth and kept her head down when she went to him and curtsied.

"What say you, sister," he said and softly touched Nadine's hair. "Does my puppet not look cute tonight?"

"She does, brother," Lady Aurora replied.

"Yes, she is very…clean."

A flush was rising in Nadine's cheeks, she couldn't help it.

"Bring us some wine," Lord Tristan ordered and patted her bottom.

She was nothing but grateful for getting away from them, even for a brief moment. It seemed that this night was just getting better and better.


	7. Chapter 7

**Part 7**

Klaus observed the girl who was standing next to the wall. She was a delicate little thing, but he had to admit that she could punch with her small fists. Clearly something had scared her; she had fought like a wild animal. Hopefully Kol didn't have anything to do with that. Klaus suppressed a sigh, they had just arrived and Kol had almost exposed them already. Thankfully Lucien had noticed the blood on Kol's tunic before anyone else had.

"Thank you," Klaus said. "For all your help."

"Of course, my lord," Lucien replied, he was looking at his sister. Her face was callous and she kept her eyes on the floor, there was no trace of the panic Klaus had seen in her eyes just moments ago.

"I must say that you don't seem at all disturbed by leading us into your master's home," Klaus stated after a brief silence.

Lucien pressed his lips together and crossed his arms.

"My master is a cruel tyrant and all these "noble" folks behind their silks and jewels are worse monsters than you can ever be. What do I care if you kill a lot of them?"

Klaus could easily pick up the bitterness and hatred in Lucien's voice.

"I see you're not very fond of your master."

"He amuses himself by tormenting his subjects for sport," Lucien snorted tensely. "Beggars who seek supper, vessels who cannot pay a debt, honest hardworking men who are being accused without any proof… Like my father."

"Ah. What happened to him? Your father?"

"He was killed by the count's soldiers," Lucien replied, he was clenching his fists. "So were my mother and my two brothers. Nadine was the only one who survived."

Klaus looked at the girl.

"She was there?"

Lucien nodded.

"Yes. She… It broke her; she hasn't spoken a word ever since."

"You mean she hasn't always been a mute?"

Lucien bit his bottom lip; it seemed that he thought he had made a mistake.

"She won't tell anyone about you, I swear…"

"Relax, I didn't mean that," Klaus cut in. "I have no intention to harm your sister."

"What about your brother?" Lucien asked. "I saw how he looked at Nadine and…" He paused and looked at Klaus. "She has suffered more than anyone deserves, if there is any way you can ask your brother to leave her alone…"

"Yes, I will take care of that," Klaus replied.

Lucien nodded gratefully.

"Thank you, my lord."

They were both quiet for a moment, Klaus found himself once again looking at the girl. The modest little servant girl. She looked out of place here, but that certainly wasn't a bad thing. It wasn't difficult to see that she wouldn't have wanted to be here. Where did she want to be? He was concentrated on looking at her until a man and a woman entered the hall arms linked. Klaus couldn't help but to stare at the woman, she was…stunning. She had beautiful face, green eyes and red hair; she was wearing a dark blue silk gown.

"Who are they?" he muttered.

"They…They're count's children," Lucien replied, he sounded tense. "The Lord Tristan and his sister, the Lady Aurora."

"Well… She is exquisite."

"Yes," Lucien murmured. "And as her brother is wicked. May I suggest that you avoid them? Completely."

Klaus smiled and stared at the Lady Aurora. She truly was beautiful. Nadine approached them and curtsied.

"What say you, sister?" Klaus heard Lord Tristan saying. "Does my puppet not look cute tonight?"

"She does, brother."

Lord Tristan was looking at Nadine like a predator looking at his prey.

"Yes, she is very…clean."

Klaus frowned when Nadine blushed. What was he talking about?

"Bring us some wine," Lord Tristan said and patted her bottom, like he would have patted a dog. Lucien tensed and looked away.

"He has no right to touch her like that," Klaus muttered.

"Unfortunately he does," Lucien replied bitterly. "He is her master; he has the right to do whatever he wants with her."

Klaus shook his head disbelievingly when Nadine went quickly to get two wine goblets.

"That's…"

"Yes, I know," Lucien murmured through clenched teeth.

"When you say whatever he wants, do you mean…"

"Yes, but Nadine has assured me that he has never done…that."

Klaus wasn't so sure about that, he doubted that Nadine would tell her brother the truth. Clearly she was willing to do anything to protect him. She served Lord Tristan and his sister the wine and took a step back. He didn't allow her to go far; she stayed behind him like a shadow. He didn't look at her when he gave her orders; she obeyed him as quickly as she could.

"This isn't right," Klaus murmured.

"Welcome to our world," Lucien replied. "I told you, servants mean nothing to the nobles, our only purpose is to serve them."

"I think I'll have a word with this Lord Tristan…"

"You would only cause Nadine trouble. Believe me, I know Lord Tristan. I hate this too, but unfortunately this is her life. She is a servant."

Klaus certainly didn't like this, but the last thing he wanted was to cause the poor girl any trouble. Not to mention he couldn't draw any unwanted attention to his family, they needed to fit in. Rebekah and Elijah seemed to be doing well and even Finn was talking to some nobleman. Kol's arrival didn't please Klaus; he truly hoped that his little brother would for once behave. Kol seemed to be in an excellent mood; he picked up a wine goblet from a servant and looked around. Of course he walked over to the Lord Tristan and introduced himself.

"Damn Kol…" Klaus muttered, but surprisingly his brother was acting like a real nobleman. Lord Tristan was reserved at first, but soon they actually seemed to be getting along fine. Lady Aurora was talking to couple of other ladies; she seemed to be enjoying herself. The same thing couldn't be said about Nadine, she looked tired. She served wine and food to Lord Tristan and Kol until her master finally told her to go and prepare his bedchamber. She curtsied and left as quickly as she could. Klaus was about to go after her, he wanted to have a word with her, but Elijah stopped him.

"Niklaus, what are you doing?" Elijah asked.

"What, nothing," Klaus replied.

Elijah frowned.

"Alright. His grace wishes you to join us since you were so interested in his hunting escapades."

"How wonderful."

Elijah seemed amused.

"Do I have to remind you that you were the one who wanted to be a nobleman? Come and be a nobleman then."

"Fine," Klaus huffed and glanced at Kol who was still talking to Tristan. Klaus hadn't bothered to really listen to their conversation, but everything seemed to be going well. Who knew, maybe Kol had actually decided to behave this time.

* * *

Nadine lit up a fire in the fireplace and yawned. It seemed that she needed to clean the fireplace tomorrow. Right now all she would have wanted was to go to sleep, but that wouldn't happen any time soon. She prepared Lord Tristan's bed, went to get some water for him to wash his face and hands, lit up candles and went to the kitchen to pick up his supper, in case he would want to eat before going to bed. She tried her best not to think about Kol, she preferred not to know what he was planning. The bastard had probably really enjoyed seeing her abasement. Not that it mattered, what dignity had she anyway.

She just couldn't understand, Kol could have killed her tonight if he would have wanted to. Why hadn't he? She didn't think for a second that her pathetic tears had affected him in any way. Then there was Niklaus, who hopefully had kept his promise, she didn't want Lucien to worry about her. But then again, she was probably the last thing on Niklaus' mind; surely he was drooling over the Lady Aurora, just like all the other men. Nadine yawned again, hoping that she could lie down. She barely managed to sit down on the armchair when the door opened, making her to jump to her feet. Lord Tristan marched inside, he seemed gloomy. He sat down and kicked his boots off.

"Grape," he stated carelessly.

Nadine picked up a bunch of grapes she had brought from the kitchen and fed him.

"My neck is tense," he said after eating few grapes.

She kept her face callous and started to massage him. She was so tired that she could barely keep her eyes open.

"That feels good, puppet," he hummed. "I was pleased with you tonight."

How wonderful, her life was complete now.

"Come here, I want to ask you something."

He stood up when she moved in front of him, his cold eyes were observing her intently.

"What did you think about Count de Quise's children?"

The question surprised her completely, she had no idea how he wanted her to reply.

"Did anything unusual happen on your way here?" he clarified.

She shook her head, praying that she was convincing. He kept staring at her and took a hold of her chin.

"Did any of them touch you?"

She shook her head again.

"Did Lord Kol touch you?"

Once again she shook her head.

"Tell me the truth, puppet, I promise I won't punish you. Did he touch you?"

She kept shaking her head and he kept asking her the same questions over and over again. She was sure that he knew she was lying, but finally he stopped. He still didn't let go of her chin.

"Who do you belong to, puppet?" he asked.

She forced herself to keep her face free from emotion and cocked her head towards him. Fortunately he was satisfied with that; he leaned so close to her that she felt his breath on her face.

"That's right. Don't ever forget that. And you will tell me if anyone touches you. Is that clear?"

She nodded and held still when he finally pulled away.

"You can undress me now."

She concentrated on her task and struggled to suppress her anger. What had Kol said to him?


	8. Chapter 8

**Warning, some mild mature content, I changed the rating to M just in case.**

* * *

 **Part 8**

Kol sat in an armchair and glanced at the timid servant girl who was just preparing his bed. He couldn't recall her name; she had been given to him as his personal servant while he would be here. Not the servant girl he would have wanted, this one was nothing but scared of him. There was absolutely no challenge, she was like a sheep. There was nothing feisty about this girl; he could probably scare her to death without any effort. He sighed and found himself thinking about the mute girl.

She had tasted delicious, he couldn't deny that. He wasn't completely sure what he had planned to do with her tonight, but the change in her had certainly killed his mood. She had wanted him to kill her. There hadn't been any fear in her eyes, just surrender. She wasn't afraid of him because deep down she wanted to die. That was something new, usually people fought for their survival. He wondered what had made her to lose her will to live so completely.

Well, obviously her master was a bastard, but as far as Kol could tell he wasn't violent toward her. At least he hadn't violated her; she was most definitely a virgin. Still it seemed that her master had no intention to give her up. Kol had spoken with him at the celebration earlier tonight and subtly implied that he could possibly be interested in buying her. Lord Tristan had immediately made it clear that he wasn't going to sell her. That was unfortunate. Oh well, Kol usually got what he wanted sooner or later. One way or the other.

There was of course the question if the girl was indeed worth his time and effort. There were plenty of girls in this castle and many noble girls had already showed interest towards him tonight. He had a feeling that he would really like it here. The life of a nobleman didn't seem too bad at all. Perhaps he should consider forgetting the mute girl… He didn't have time to properly formulate his thought when the door to his chamber opened and Nik marched in. Kol frowned.

"Well, good evening, brother. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Nik crossed his arms and gave Kol a scolding look.

"How about we start with how you almost exposed us at the celebration. You had blood on your tunic."

Kol rolled his eyes.

"I handled that, no harm done. Anything else?"

"Yes. I want you to stay away from Nadine."

Kol was genuinely surprised.

"What?"

"You heard me," Nik replied firmly. "You will leave her alone or you'll have to deal with me."

Kol observed his brother for a brief moment before replying, his lips curved into a smirk.

"Well, well… That whole playing a hero thing… Does someone want to bed the pretty little servant?"

Nik's expression tensed.

"This isn't about that. Her brother has helped us a lot and we won't reward him by harming his sister. Is that clear, Kol?"

"Of course, brother," Kol replied innocently. "I had already forgotten all about that girl, there are plenty of lovely ladies here."

"Just try to behave," Nik huffed. "It would be nice if we could stay here for a while."

"I absolutely agree, I like it here."

"Good. I'm glad we agree. Good night, brother."

"Good night."

Kol smiled when Nik walked out, it seemed that his brother didn't know him at all. There was no way he would forget the mute girl now, not when his brother had just made her a forbidden fruit. Was there anything sweeter than that? He frowned when he suddenly remembered that he wasn't alone. Oh dear…

"You," he said and turned to look at the terrified servant girl who was standing next to his bed. Had she understood what she had just heard? "Come here."

She kept her eyes down and obeyed, she was shaking.

"Remind me of your name," Kol demanded when she was in front of him.

"E-Emeline, my lord," she squeaked like a timid little mouse.

"Hmm. Tell me, Emeline, do you gossip with the other servants?"

"No, my lord, no."

She winced when he grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him.

"What did you just hear?" he asked.

"No-nothing," she stuttered. "I heard nothing, my lord."

Clearly she was lying; it seemed that he had to kill her.

"Oh, my dear Emeline," he sighed. "Haven't anyone taught you that lying is naughty?"

Her eyes widened in terror.

"I can help you, my lord," she said quickly.

"With what?" he asked.

She swallowed.

"With whatever you need. If…if you want Nadine, I can help you."

Kol raised an eyebrow; he couldn't help but to feel amused. He had met the same type of people before, people who would do anything for their own survival. Perhaps they could be call cowards, but he had found that kind of people to be very useful.

"You would help me, even if you have no idea what I would do to her?" he stated.

She nodded.

"Whatever you need, my lord. I will be your loyal servant."

He observed her for a moment and smiled. Perhaps he could indeed find some use for her, if she could prove to be useful enough. Or then he would simply kill her.

"Alright, Emeline," he hummed and touched her cheek. "Let's talk."

* * *

 _Tristan was having a very pleasant dream. An erotic dream. He was having sex with his favorite mistress, Lady Giselle. She was a gorgeous woman with long blonde curls, pale blue eyes, soft skin, full lips and large bosom. A perfect woman. She was moaning under him, begging him to give her more. He was incredibly turned on; he closed his eyes and moved faster._

 _She was quiet now, she didn't make a sound. Her body also felt different. He opened his eyes and gasped. The woman under him wasn't Lady Giselle. It was Nadine. She looked at him with her dark brown eyes and smiled seductively. He licked his lips and thrust into her harder. She felt tight and wet, her mouth opened in a silent moan. He had never seen anything so arousing. Her bosom wasn't as big as Lady Giselle's, but her breast felt nice and firm under his hand when he cupped it._

 _"Oh God, puppet," he groaned. "You feel so good. Do you like this?"_

 _She nodded and tilted her head back._

 _"Do you want more?"_

 _She nodded again and wrapped her legs around his waist._

 _"You are mine, puppet. Show me how much you love this…"_

His eyes flew open, for a moment he was almost shocked. What… His breathing had quickened and he felt sweaty, he needed a moment to calm down. Had he just dreamt of his servant? That was just ridiculous; he had a woman like Lady Giselle. Nadine was a servant, his property. He would have never slept with a servant. Perhaps she wasn't unpleasant to look at, especially when she was naked, but she wasn't his type. He liked his women more full-bosomed, she was too small and thin. And she was _a servant_.

Obviously he didn't want anyone else to touch her, she belonged to him, but that didn't mean he would have wanted to bed her. Of course not. Her purpose was to serve him and amuse him when he felt like it, nothing more. Fortunately he felt normal again when the door opened and Nadine entered his chamber carrying a tray. His breakfast. She walked over to the bed and curtsied.

"Just leave it there, puppet," he muttered.

She placed the tray on the small table next to his bed and pointed at the fireplace and the rag she had with her.

"You need to clean the fireplace?"

She nodded.

"Fine, go ahead. I will let you know when I need your assistance."

She curtsied and went to get a bucket of water. He got into a sitting position and glanced at his breakfast. He didn't feel very hungry but he picked up the warm bread. Nadine was on her knees in front of the fireplace, she needed to lean forward. He watched her while he ate. For some reason he had always enjoyed watching her, there was something intriguing about her. That didn't mean that he would be in any way attracted to her. Absolutely not. She was nothing more than a servant. Yes, she was a servant, his servant. He could do whatever he wanted with her. Somehow he found that thought very pleasant.


	9. Chapter 9

**Part 9**

5 days later

Nadine took a deep breath and enjoyed the quiet moment right before dawn. She was still sleepy, but she loved this perfect moment of peace when the first sunrays hadn't yet appeared above the horizon. She actually had a brief moment just for herself before getting to work and she had every intention to enjoy that moment. The smaller courtyard was quiet when she headed to the well. Cold fresh water was just what she needed to wake herself up. She hadn't slept nearly enough, Lord Tristan had kept her in his chamber until midnight last night, insisting her to massage him, serve him wine and do all kinds of useless chores.

And he had again made her to bathe in front of him, claiming that she had looked dirty. Obviously he had wanted to punish her for something, but she had no idea why, he hadn't said. No, he had just stared at her. She had hated him and felt sick to her stomach, but she had endured it better than the first time. If she would just know what she had done to upset him… He had acted strangely during the last few days. The worst part was that he had kept her so busy that she hadn't had time to see Lucien.

There were separate quarters for unmarried male and female servants and Nadine wouldn't have been foolish enough to ever enter the quarters of the male servants, she would have been asking for trouble. She slept in a very small room with three other servant girls who didn't usually speak to her at all, probably because she was Lord Tristan's personal servant. Most servants were afraid of Tristan and Nadine couldn't really blame them. Some girls looked at Nadine sympathetically and she had heard some very nasty rumors about the things Lord Tristan made her do. Fortunately those rumors weren't true, but she was pretty sure she would have no chance to ever get married, at least not with any honorable man.

Not that it mattered; she had no intention to get married. No, she simply tried to get by one day at a time. Lucien was the only thing that kept her going. Hopefully she could see him today; she wanted to know that everything was alright with him. She had seen a glimpse of him two days ago; he had been talking to Elijah, apparently explaining something to him. Nadine hadn't really seen any of the beasts after the celebration; they had been busy blending in. She had heard that Niklaus, Elijah and Finn had been hunting with Count de Martel and his party yesterday. Good for them, not many people were granted that honor, at least not so soon. She had also heard that many men in the court had noticed Rebekah and many women had noticed Kol. Well, good luck for those women. Nadine would have been glad if she would never have to see him again…

"Well, well, hello there."

Oh great… She looked up and saw Kol approaching her. His hair was messy, his clothes were dirty and he seemed to be more or less drunk.

"Good evening, darling," he said smirking. "Or is it morning already, I'm really not sure. I just returned from the village. What a night…"

So it seemed. Nadine glanced at him coolly, curtsied and offered him the bucket of water she had just lifted from the well.

"Thank you, darling," he said and washed his face. "How are you this fine morning?"

She shrugged and tried her best to keep her distance.

"Rough night?"

He sounded amused; she frowned and kept her eyes down.

"You poor thing," he hummed and took a step towards her. "Your master really isn't a nice man, is he?"

Look who was talking…

"Perhaps I can help you."

Cautiously she looked up, he was smiling at her. How drunk was he?

"Would you like me to help you, darling?" he purred and touched her cheek. He smelled like blood and alcohol.

She had no idea how and why he would help her and she preferred not to find out. Not that she thought he would actually help her anyway, he was just drunk. She shook her head, keeping her face free from emotion. He raised an eyebrow.

"Really? You enjoy serving your master? Satisfy his every little…whim?"

She blushed and wrapped her arms around her, he couldn't possibly know. At least she prayed that he didn't. Just the thought was nothing but humiliating, she didn't want anyone, especially Lucien, to ever find out about her abasement. She needed to deal with that by herself.

"Perhaps you are wondering why I would help you," he stated after a moment of silence. "Well, it's simple really, I find you an interesting little human. I admit that my behavior toward you has been anything but flawless, but I can assure you that I'm really not that bad. And you can say many things about me, but I'm very good at fixing problems. I feel bad for you and I really want to help. What do you say? All you have to do is nod and all your problems will disappear, just like that."

Right, sure… She curtsied and shook her head again. He didn't seem in any way annoyed or angry, he was still smiling.

"Alright, as you wish. Come to me when…I'm sorry, _if_ you change your mind. My door will be open and I won't ask any questions or involve any… shall we say third party in the matter. No, I will simply fix your problems and it will stay between you and me, you have my word. And no need to worry about the price, it will be more than reasonable, I can assure you."

What was he talking about?

"Something tells me I will see you soon," he stated and winked before walking away.

Nadine was nothing but confused, what had that been? Why would she want him to help her? She had dealt with Lord Tristan for almost two years without anyone's help. He was a cruel bastard, but she had got used to it. She sighed and decided to forget the whole thing, who knew what was going on in Kol's head. It felt good to wash her face with cold water, she was so lost in her thoughts that she jumped when someone suddenly touched her shoulder.

"I'm so sorry, it's just me," Lucien's voice said. "I did call for you."

She hadn't heard him, but that made no difference. She turned around and wrapped her arms tightly around him, she was more than happy to see him. He was clearly surprised; she didn't usually show her affection so openly. Right now she just needed her big brother. The pathetic little girl in her wanted him to protect her from all the bad things, as ridiculous as that was. She wanted to beg him to take her far away from here. Far away from Lord Tristan. She truly was pathetic…

"Hey…" he muttered and rubbed her back. "Is everything alright?"

She nodded, but she didn't let go of him, she didn't want to.

"Nadine?"

Tears were burning behind her eyes, but there was no way she would let them out. She needed to get a grip. Right now. She looked perfectly calm when she pulled away and kissed his cheek.

"Oh… I missed you too."

He tapped her back when she leaned her head on his shoulder, thankfully he allowed her to stay there for a moment. She needed that moment to gather her strength and remind to herself why she had to keep going. For him, her family. The only person in this world who loved her. He looked worried when she pulled away.

"Are you sure everything is alright?"

She nodded and rubbed her eyes, letting him know that she was tired.

"My poor sister," he sighed and touched her cheek. "I wish… I wish you could speak to me. I miss the sound of your voice."

She wished that too, but she didn't have a voice anymore. Her mind had buried it somewhere so deep she wasn't sure if she would ever be able to find it. She pointed at Lucien and touched the corner of his eye, he looked tired too.

"Yes," he sighed. "The last few days have felt very long. I have had to guide Lord Niklaus and his siblings a lot along with taking care of my normal duties."

She nodded, she had suspected that much.

"They still have a lot to learn, but I think they are doing alright. Except maybe Lord Kol." Lucien paused and looked Nadine in the eye. "Has he bothered you?"

She shook her head. It wasn't really a lie.

"That's good. Lord Niklaus promised at the celebration that he would talk to his brother, tell him to leave you alone. He seems like a good man considering… you know."

Yes, Nadine certainly knew and she agreed. Whether he had talked to Kol or not, Lord Niklaus seemed to be a good man. Nadine would have wanted to stay with her brother for longer, but unfortunately the sun was already rising. Her moment of peace was over. She hugged Lucien tightly before she had to hurry to work. First she needed to pick up Lord Tristan's breakfast from the kitchen. He usually got up quite early, but he was still asleep when she entered his chamber. Silently she walked over to the bed and placed the tray on the small table. She startled when he suddenly rolled on his back and groaned in his sleep. It sounded that he was having a nightmare. She was nothing but pleased by that, he deserved all the nightmares he got.

"Oh God…" he groaned. "Don't stop… That feels so good…"

No, he wasn't having a nightmare. Nadine's face turned red when she understood what was going on. She left as quickly as she could, she really didn't need to see that. Not nice… She headed to the laundry room to pick up some of Lord Tristan's clothes when she passed the staircase and noticed Niklaus. She was just about to go and greet him when she saw that he wasn't alone. He was talking to Lady Aurora. She was smiling at him sweetly and blinking her bright green eyes. Right, of course. Nadine turned her head away and marched towards the laundry room. For some reason she felt unpleasant. Oh please, what had she thought? Maybe this man had been polite to her, but why would anyone notice her after meeting Lady Aurora.


	10. Chapter 10

**Part 10**

Klaus was lost in his thoughts when he walked across the long hallway towards the garden. As far as he knew, Elijah, Rebekah and Finn were already there along with the rest of the court. They were all enjoying the lovely summer day. He wasn't sure about Kol who had been fast asleep when Klaus had dropped by his chamber an hour ago. Kol's poor servant girl had timidly informed that her master had asked not to be disturbed although it was almost midday already. No doubt Kol had been out all night again.

Klaus sighed; he needed to talk to Elijah and Finn about this. Not that he actually thought that they would be able to control Kol, but they could at least try to talk some sense in him. Klaus loved his little brother, he really did, but sometimes he felt that he couldn't recognize Kol anymore. Sure Kol had always had a temper and he had often got into fights when they had still been humans, but he had also had a good heart deep down. What had changed that so completely?

It couldn't be just becoming a monster; Finn for example had barely changed at all. Well, perhaps he had become even more judgmental than before because he could control himself better than the rest of them. But Kol… He had never talked about losing his magic, but Klaus imagined that it had affected him a lot. And losing Henrik… Klaus felt a sting in his heart when he thought about poor Henrik. Kol and Henrik had always been very close; their baby brother had idolized Kol and often followed him around. Unfortunately Henrik had followed Klaus that faithful night…

Klaus didn't think that he would ever be able to forgive himself for that. Well, his list of unforgivable sins was long. Too long. He didn't deserve any forgiveness. He passed a window and noticed Rebekah in the garden. She was talking to Lady Aurora. Klaus stopped and looked at the two women, especially the redhead. She was absolutely a gorgeous woman, he couldn't deny that. They had chatted for a brief moment this morning and as far as he could tell she seemed quite sweet and innocent woman who had clearly lived very sheltered life. A delicate flower… He was so concentrated on looking at her that he didn't notice someone approaching him before this person had almost past him.

"Nadine!"

She was carrying two buckets of water, she seemed reluctant to stop, but she still did and curtsied rigidly.

"Here, let me help you…" he started automatically, but she took a step back and shook her head, keeping her eyes on the floor.

"Oh come on, what kind of a man would I be if I wouldn't help a lady?"

The buckets were clearly heavy, but she didn't give up, she just curtsied again and tried to get past him.

"It's just the two of us, no need for that," he tried and stepped in front of her. "Give me the buckets."

She shook her head.

"Please?"

She shook her head again. He really wasn't sure why he was so determined to help her, she just looked so tired and…what, fragile? That was probably the best word he could think of to describe it.

"Alright, let's do this your way then. I'm a lord and I order you to give me those buckets."

She looked up and stared at him disbelievingly.

"That's right, you heard me," he stated firmly. "Now hand them over."

Tensely she took a quick look around.

"It's alright," he assured, using a much softer tone. "Please just let me help you, I'll make sure you won't get into any kind of trouble, I give you my word."

She hesitated, but finally she obeyed, although reluctantly. Despite of his vampire's strength, he couldn't help but to startle a little when he lifted the buckets up.

"Oh my, these are heavy," he murmured. "How can a little thing like you carry these?"

She shrugged and for a moment he could have sworn that she looked almost amused.

"Alright, lead the way, my lady," he said.

She walked a few steps ahead of him; he could easily tell how tense she was. Would she be somehow punished for this if someone would see them? No, he wasn't going to let that to happen. Fortunately they didn't run into anyone before reaching the door to Tristan's chamber. Nadine turned around and motioned him to give the buckets back. He was just about to do that when he picked up a familiar scent inside the chamber. His eyes narrowed and he pushed the door open in a fraction of a second. Kol was casually sitting in an armchair.

"Kol!" Klaus snarled. "What are you doing here?"

"Nothing," Kol replied innocently. "I was hoping to have a word with our host."

"In his private chamber?"

"Yes, I didn't think he would mind… Oh, hello there darling," he added smirking and stood up when Nadine came in after Klaus and quickly closed the door. She looked even tenser than before and motioned them both to leave. Kol tilted his head, his smirk grew even wider.

"Oh dear… Can you hear that, Nik?"

Klaus was just about to snap at him when he indeed heard it. Several footsteps approaching the door. One of them was most definitely Lord Tristan.

"Well, let's make this more fun, shall we?" Kol purred.

Klaus didn't have time to do anything when Kol zoomed in front of Nadine, grabbed her and jumped in Tristan's bed with her. She panicked completely and tried to desperately get up; her nails were leaving bloody marks on his face.

"Aren't you a little wildcat," he chuckled.

"Kol!" Klaus snapped, the footsteps were getting closer.

"I was kidding," Kol snorted. "Doesn't anyone have any sense of humor…"

Klaus grabbed his arm and pulled him under the bed with him, Nadine managed to stand up a second before the door opened. Tristan didn't enter the chamber right away; he was giving orders to few men, apparently soldiers, who were standing in the hallway. Fortunately that gave Nadine enough time to tidy up the bed. She was standing next to the bed when Tristan closed the door and noticed her.

"Good, you're here, puppet," he said. "What are you doing?"

She curtsied and pointed that the two buckets.

"Ah. Well, cleaning will have to wait; I have a more important task for you. Come here."

Klaus couldn't believe that he was actually in this kind of situation, hiding under the bed with Kol. This was nothing but ridiculous. All he could see was Nadine's legs when she walked over to Tristan.

"I had a special gift made for Lady Giselle," Tristan said. "I want you to try it on so I can see how it looks."

If Klaus had understood correctly, Lady Giselle was Tristan's mistress. A very beautiful woman and quite arrogant, according to the rumors.

"Undress, puppet, and try this on. What? No, you don't look dirty to me. But of course you can bathe first if you want since you brought the water…"

"Move," Kol whispered in Klaus's ear. "I can't see anything."

"Shut up or I swear I'll snap your neck," Klaus whispered back.

"No need to be shy, puppet," Tristan said. "You are just serving your master and you will be rewarded for it. I have told you I can be a merciful master if you earn that."

Klaus gritted his teeth when Nadine's dress dropped on the floor.

"That looks very good," Tristan said after a moment of silence. "I believe Lady Giselle will love this. Now spin around and let your hair down. Very good, puppet, very good… How does the fabric feel? It should be the finest silk there is. Nod if it feels good."

"It certainly looks good," Kol whispered. "She's quite a beauty this little servant."

"Shut up," Klaus whispered tensely, he had kept his eyes away from Nadine. None of this was in any way right.

"Now lay down on the bed," Tristan said. "I want to see how it looks there."

Nadine didn't move.

"Don't make me ask again, puppet. This is a special night for me and…and Lady Ge…Giselle, I'm warning you not to ruin it."

Damn it… Klaus felt that he needed to do something, but what? Apparently Kol guessed what he was thinking; he took a hold of Klaus' arm and shook his head.

"Wait," Kol whispered.

They both saw Nadine's legs when she climbed into bed and lied down. Klaus could easily hear her heart; it was pounding like a drum. Tristan approached the bed slowly and stared at Nadine.

"That's very good," he murmured. "Very good…"

A knock on the door interrupted him, he didn't have time to say anything when the door opened and Aurora stormed in.

"Tristan!" she started eagerly before she noticed Nadine. "Oh… I'm so sorry, brother, I didn't know…"

"That's alright," Tristan replied. "What is it, sister?"

"I… Father would like to see you."

"Alright, I will be right there."

Aurora smiled at her brother and glanced at Nadine before walking out.

"Stay here until I return, puppet," Tristan said to Nadine after Aurora had left, his voice sounded careless. Nadine got up as soon as Tristan had marched out and moved as far away from the bed as she could. Klaus waited for a moment before getting out from under the bed, followed by Kol.

"Well, that was…" Kol started, but Klaus gave him a warning look. Nadine was standing in front of the fireplace with her back turned. Her arms were crossed; she looked tense to say the least. She was wearing a beautiful creamy undergarment and her long dark hair was down.

"Nadine?" Klaus said cautiously.

She didn't turn to look at him, she just pointed at the door.

"Listen, Nadine…"

She clenched her fists and turned around; all he saw in her eyes was anger. She pointed at the door again.

"I can't just leave you here…"

She marched over to him and shoved him, again pointing at the door.

"Nik, Nik," Kol said. "I think we should respect the lady's wishes. Unless you want to spend the rest of the day under the bed."

Klaus tried to say something, but Nadine shoved him again, making it more than clear than she really wanted him to leave. Her face was callous, but he could understand how humiliating the whole situation must be to her.

"If he hurts you…"

Nadine shook her head and crossed her arms.

"Let's go, Nik," Kol said. "I doubt that we help her if her master finds us here."

Klaus gritted his teeth, but he had to admit that Kol was right.

"Nadine, if there's anything I can do…"

She shook her head.

"Don't you worry, darling," Kol said casually when he and Klaus headed to the door. "I have no doubt that all your problems will disappeared one day. If that is what you want."


	11. Chapter 11

**Warning, some mild mature content**

* * *

 **Part 11**

Nadine struggled to pull herself together, but tears of humiliation were burning behind her eyes. She hadn't thought that she would be able to feel humiliated anymore, but apparently she had been wrong. She hated the stupid revealing undergarment she was wearing, but she should probably be grateful that she wasn't naked. Still two men had just witnessed her humiliation. Niklaus' reaction had been much worse; his pity had made her embarrassed and angry. She didn't want or need his pity, especially when he obviously saw her as nothing more than some poor little servant girl. A charity case.

Nadine had seen how he had stared at Lady Aurora through the window and there definitely hadn't been any pity in that look. He had looked at her just like all the other men did, like she would be the most amazing creature they had ever seen. Why wouldn't they look at her like that, she was a lady, she was beautiful, she was wealthy, she wore the most expensive gowns and jewelry money could buy, she could look all sweet and helpless when she wanted to when she blinked her stupid eyes…

Alright, this was completely pointless. Maybe Nadine envied Lady Aurora, but what good did that do? The worst part was that she had seen Nadine lying on Tristan's bed. It wasn't difficult to imagine how she had seen the whole thing and Nadine doubted that Tristan had any intention to clarify anything. Thinking about Tristan made Nadine shiver. She could run before he would return… To where? Kol… She could go to Kol. He hadn't patronized her or pretended that he cared; he had made her a very clear offer. His help in exchange for a price. Whatever his price would be, could it really be worse than what would happen after Tristan would return?

The problem was that Nadine didn't think for a second that she could really trust Kol. And this wasn't really about her; she needed to think about her brother. No matter what would happen, she wouldn't do anything to risk Lucien's life. No, she needed to endure this. She just couldn't understand why Tristan suddenly wanted something like this, he didn't sleep with servants. Unfortunately the look in his eyes had made it very clear to her what he wanted now.

Slowly she walked in front of the mirror and looked at her reflection. The very revealing undergarment was no doubt the finest silk, made for a mistress of a nobleman, but in her eyes it made her look nothing more than a harlot. The only thing that offered her some kind of malevolent joy was the fact how furious Lady Giselle would be if she would know that Nadine had worn her brand new undergarment before her. Nadine glanced at her dress on the floor. Sure she could get changed and start to wash the floor like she had intended to do, but why would she do that? Hell, if Tristan was going to do what the look in his eyes had told her he was going to do, she would take a well-earned break before…before…that.

Determinedly she marched to the wine carafe and poured the goblet full. The bastard owed her at least this. She emptied the goblet and poured herself more. There, everything was fine. She didn't care what he would do; he would only have her body. So what if it would hurt, she could take that. Why the hell was she crying then? No, she needed to stop right now. There was no way she would give him the satisfaction to see her tears. That would probably just turn him on. She gritted her teeth and dried her eyes before emptying the second goblet of wine. It helped a little, she felt a little more in control when she sat down on the armchair. She would get through this. She had to.

* * *

 _Tristan was tired when he opened the door to his chamber. It was late and the day had been very long. The first thing he noticed was that there were candles everywhere. And he could sense that he wasn't alone. His eyes scanned the room, he gasped when he finally looked at his bed. Nadine was lying there naked, her body covered only with rose petals. She looked stunning._

 _"Puppet?" he muttered._

 _She smiled seductively and sucked her index finger. His mouth watered and he was incredibly turned on; she looked good enough to eat. She twirled her long dark curl around her finger when he approached the bed._

 _"You know, puppet, coming to a man's bed like this can get you into a lot of trouble," he muttered._

 _She just smiled and blinked her eyes._

 _"I see," he said and sat down on the edge of the bed. "Are you a naughty girl?"_

 _She nodded and ran her hand over his thigh._

 _"Well," he muttered and softly slapped her bottom. "Perhaps I should spank you then…"_

"My lord?"

Tristan blinked, it took a moment before he remembered where he was. He was walking back to his chamber after meeting his father. What the hell had just happened?

"Yes?" he muttered after clearing his throat.

Laurent who was walking beside him looked a little confused.

"Your verdict, my lord? His grace's servant who was caught sleeping in the middle of his chores today."

Tristan frowned.

"What? Why isn't my father declaring his verdict?"

"His grace trusted that to you, my lord," Laurent replied. "I believe he has been busy with other matters."

"Hmm, have him flogged…" Tristan started absentmindedly before something crossed his mind. "Wait, which servant is this?"

"Lucien, my lord. He has been his grace's personal servant for a while."

Nadine's brother… The most important person in the world to her.

"On second thought, I believe I will take care of his punishment myself," Tristan stated, managing to sound completely careless. "Send him to my chamber after an hour or so. First I need to take care of some unfinished business."

"Yes, my lord."

Tristan pressed his lips together and tried to get a grip. Wasn't it bad enough that he had the damn dreams about Nadine every night, now he apparently had them when he was awake as well? What the hell was happening? Why couldn't he get her out of his mind? None of this made any sense, she had been his servant for almost two years and he had never felt this kind of…what, lust? He wanted her, there was no point denying that. Why now? What had suddenly changed? Well, he had seen her naked… No, that couldn't be the only reason. What the hell was this then?

He had thought about her when he have had sex with Lady Giselle last night, he fantasized about her, he had even had the damn undergarment made for her just because he had wanted to see her wearing it. It had never been for Lady Giselle. Damn it, this had to stop. He was always in control, he was known for that, and there was no way he would lose his perfect self-control because of a servant. There had to be a way to make this stop.

His face was perfectly blank when he marched to his chamber. His little puppet was sitting in the armchair; slowly she stood up and kept her eyes on the floor. She was still wearing the undergarment. The first thing he noticed was that her hands were shaking a little. She was trying very hard to hide it, but clearly she was afraid and if he wasn't mistaken, she had been crying. Basically she looked like a lamb going to the slaughter. Not exactly like he had pictured this… Tristan was a cruel and brutal man, everyone knew that, but there was one thing he didn't do. He had never forced himself on a woman. He observed Nadine quietly for a moment before marching to the sofa.

"Come here, puppet," he stated calmly. "Take a seat."

Her whole body tensed even more, but she obeyed and sat down next to him, keeping a noticeable distance between them. Her hands were still shaking, but other than that she managed to look completely callous.

"Look at me," he ordered.

She pressed her lips together and obeyed.

"Are you afraid of me, puppet?"

She didn't nod or shook her head; she simply kept her face free from emotion.

"I would say that you are," he stated. "Why is that? You haven't displeased me or angered me; I have no reason to punish you, do I?" He paused and observed her face for a brief moment before continuing. "Your brother on the other hand…"

Her mask was immediately gone, her eyes widened and she stared at him intently.

"Yes, unfortunately your brother fell asleep today in the middle of his duties," Tristan continued calmly. "I will be the one who will decide his punishment."

Now there was definitely desperation in Nadine's eyes. She tried her best to look calm when she kneeled in front of him.

"No, no, puppet," he said and motioned her to stand up. "No need for that."

She looked concerned and confused, clearly trying to understand what he wanted her to do.

"As I said, I have been pleased with you, so… As a reward for your service, I will spare your brother from punishment."

Nadine's eyes widened, she stared at him disbelievingly. He waited a moment before he frowned.

"I don't get any gratitude?"

Quickly she curtsied and bowed her head.

"Hmm, you can get changed now," he muttered.

She nodded and took the undergarment off; she didn't even try to cover herself. Perhaps she thought that this was what he expected in return. He had no problem with that. She wore her own dress and placed the undergarment neatly on the bed. He needed to send her away before her brother would arrive, so he made up some useless errand for her to run. She curtsied and left, he could tell how relieved she was. Slowly he stood up, walked over to the bed and picked the undergarment up. He closed his eyes, pressed the silky piece of clothing against his face and inhaled her scent. God… What was wrong with him?


	12. Chapter 12

**Part 12**

Rebekah enjoyed feeling the sunlight on her face, the day was absolutely beautiful. Almost the whole court had settled in the huge garden, there were plenty of food, wine and entertainment. Few bards were singing and playing lute, two jesters were juggling and the noblemen were competing to impress the ladies with their archery or axe throwing skills. The life of a lady wasn't too bad at all. Rebekah gave a coy smile to two handsome young noblemen who had both been competing for her attention; they were throwing the axe with few other men.

Rebekah was sitting under the sunshade with the Lady Cecile; she had managed to learn a lot from this young noblewoman who truly enjoying gossiping. Elijah was once again talking to Count de Martel; Rebekah couldn't help but to admire her brother's ability to adapt so perfectly. Although Elijah had been against this whole thing, he had blend in as a duck takes to water.

Finn was trying his best as well and he had fit in fine, but clearly he was out of his comfort zone when he had to socialize all the time. He had never been much of a conversationalist, he enjoyed keeping to himself. Nik and Kol didn't seem to be here. Neither was the Lord Tristan. His sister on the other hand was here; she was talking to some blonde woman who was smiling politely and complimenting Lady Aurora's gown.

"Have you met her?" Lady Cecile asked and cocked her head towards the two women. "The woman who is with the Lady Aurora?"

"No, I don't believe that I have," Rebekah replied.

"That's Lady Giselle, the Lord Tristan's mistress."

It wasn't difficult to tell that Lady Cecile didn't think very highly of this woman.

"I would advice you to avoid her."

"Oh? Why is that?" Rebekah asked.

"Well… let us put it this way, she can be quite…unpleasant. Unfortunately she also has a lot of influence in the court and she knows how to use it. Perhaps she is not high-ranking enough to become Lord Tristan's wife, but let me tell you, I truly feel sorry for the woman who he will eventually wed. I doubt that she will stand a chance against Lady Giselle."

Rebekah observed the blonde who was undeniably very beautiful, but there was most definitely something cold and calculating about her. Clearly she was very good with words; she kept flattering the Lady Aurora who didn't seem to notice anything false about this woman. Well, as far as Rebekah could tell, the Lady Aurora was quite naïve, she had been protected her whole life. They were so far away that Rebekah wouldn't have heard what they were saying without her vampire's hearing.

"I hope everything is alright between you and my brother," Lady Aurora said.

"Yes, my lady, everything is fine," Lady Giselle replied smiling, but she suddenly seemed vigilant. "Why do you ask?"

Lady Aurora giggled.

"Oh, I am sure it was nothing, I should not have even brought it up."

Now Lady Giselle was most definitely vigilant.

"Brought what up, my lady?" she asked sweetly.

"Nothing, I just… You are my friend and I really don't want to upset you…"

"No, no, I don't get upset so easily. You know how much I love your brother, please, my lady, tell me if something is wrong with him. I only wish him to be happy."

Lady Aurora hesitated.

"Well… It's just… I'm sure it was nothing, but I saw him earlier with his servant, she was lying on his bed wearing… very little. But I'm sure there is a reasonable explanation for it."

"Yes, I'm sure there is. Just out of curiosity, who was this servant?"

"The mute one. You know, he likes to call her his puppet."

Lady Giselle's lips curved into a smile.

"Ah, that one. I'm sure you are right, my lady, there must be an explanation for it. Lord Tristan would never touch a worthless and unsightly creature like her."

Lady Aurora looked a little confused.

"That's a mean thing to say, is it not? I have heard that she is a hard worker."

"Yes, forgive me, my lady," Lady Giselle said quickly. "I merely meant that it would be beneath your brother to touch a servant, he has said that himself."

"Yes, I suppose he has," Lady Aurora sighed. "He can be very harsh sometimes. I'm glad he is not like that with you."

Lady Giselle's smile grew wider when Aurora touched her shoulder.

"No, he is not. I truly appreciate your concern, my lady and I cherish our friendship more than anything."

Oh please… Rebekah rolled her eyes, was this pretty little redhead blind? She seemed to be even more naïve than Rebekah had thought. And she had just caused the poor servant girl much more trouble than she could ever understand. Rebekah wasn't completely sure what she could do about that, but she felt that it was her responsibility to at least warn the girl. She excused herself and headed inside the castle when she ran into Kol who was just coming to the garden.

"Sister!" he greeted her cheerily, he seemed to be in a good mood. "Where are you going?"

"Have you seen Lucien's sister today?"

He raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, as a matter of fact I have. Why do you ask?"

Rebekah sighed; she didn't see any reason for not to explain the whole thing to Kol. Surely they both agreed that they owed Lucien for all his help. Kol listened to her very carefully, his eyebrows furrowed.

"Oh dear… We must definitely warn the poor girl."

Rebekah stared at him disbelievingly.

"Have you suddenly found your missing heart?" she huffed.

Kol smiled.

"Very amusing, sister. I'll find the girl and let her know what is going on."

"Why would you do that?"

He shrugged.

"Why not? I don't have anything better to do at the moment."

Rebekah was about to argue when one of her admirers approached them.

"Excuse me, my lady; I was wondering if I could ask a moment of your time?"

Rebekah really liked this young lord, he was very handsome and a true gentleman.

"I would like that, but…"

"It's alright, sister," Kol cut in. "I will handle the matter we just talked about."

Rebekah bit her bottom lip and looked at her brother.

"I give you my word," Kol added.

"Your word?"

He nodded.

"Yes. Go and have fun, you can leave this to me."

* * *

Nadine wasn't sure if she was more relieved or confused when she headed to the orchard, Lord Tristan had sent her there to get him fresh apples. There were apples in the kitchen, but for some reason he had insisted her to walk all the way to the orchard. Not that she had a problem with that, the day was beautiful. She was still trying to understand what had happened earlier. Was it possible that she had misunderstood the way he had looked at her? Maybe she really had been flattering herself for thinking that he would want to bed her.

What she couldn't understand was why he had just acted like he had. He had been almost…kind. And he had spared Lucien from punishment. Of course she was more than grateful for that, but she just couldn't understand why. Maybe… Making her bathe in front of him… The undergarment… Maybe he didn't want to bed her; maybe he just liked to…watch. He had most definitely seemed pleased when she had got changed in front of him.

The thought wasn't very pleasant, but if he just wanted to watch, she was pretty sure she could learn to live with that. Not that she had much choice. That was a big if though. Things could be much, much worse. Well, one problem at a time. She enjoyed feeling the gentle wind on her face and admired the flourishing fruit trees. She had always loved the orchard. The ladders… She had forgotten to bring them with her. Great, she needed to go back and…

"Hello," a calm voice suddenly said.

She startled a little; she had been too absentminded to notice that she wasn't alone. Finn was standing few steps away from her.

"Lovely day," he stated.

She nodded and curtsied, automatically keeping her eyes down. He looked around and took a step towards her.

"I hope I'm allowed to talk to you?"

She nodded.

"That's good. And maybe you could even look at me if we won't tell anyone about it?"

He most definitely sounded amused. Cautiously she looked up; he was smiling at her politely. For some very strange reason something about him made her feel calm, she didn't find him in any way intimidating. He glanced at the basket she was carrying.

"You are here to pick up some apples?"

She nodded.

"Ah. I am here because I needed a place to hide."

She raised an eyebrow.

"Yes," he sighed. "I admit it, I'm a coward. I just couldn't handle any more of…socializing."

She couldn't help but to stare at him, he sounded to be very much serious. Curiously she tried to find a way to ask him wasn't he really enjoying the life of a nobleman. Finally he seemed to understand her.

"I like peace and quiet," he said. "I like to be able to hear my own thoughts, not some meaningless babble."

She nodded; she could understand what he meant.

"That is probably the reason why I find your company so soothing," he continued and seemed to regret his words immediately. "Forgive me, that was a terrible thing to say, I really didn't mean to insult you. It's just… you remind me of someone. She…didn't speak much either."

Nadine saw sadness in his eyes; clearly this person had been important to him. She gave him a sympathetic look. He cleared his throat before speaking.

"Anyway, the apples… Do you need some help?"

She hesitated and tried to explain to him that she didn't have the ladders.

"Oh, that's not a problem. Just a moment."

He took a quick look around, her eyes widened when he effortlessly jumped in the nearest tree. For a moment she had actually forgotten that he wasn't a human.

"Alright, catch," he said and started to pick up the apples and drop them on the ground. It didn't take long when the basket was full. She thanked him with a bow when he jumped to the ground.

"You're welcome," he said. "And thank you for the…talk. I believe I can take some more babble now."

She smiled. For the first time in two years, she actually smiled. It felt strange. He didn't seem to notice anything strange; he bowed at her politely and walked away. She turned around and startled when someone was standing in front of her. Niklaus. He looked very tense, almost angry; his arms were crossed over his chest.

"Nadine," he muttered. "We need to talk."


	13. Chapter 13

**Part 13**

Lucien tried his best to stay calm when he walked towards Lord Tristan's chamber. He knew that he was in trouble, but he could only blame himself for that. Unfortunately he had been more exhausted than he had realized. Well, it was too late to do anything about it now; he simply had to take the punishment. Knowing Tristan, the punishment would be harsh. Lucien tried to ignore Laurent and the two guards who were walking behind them. He could only hope that Nadine wasn't there, he certainly didn't want her to see this. Laurent knocked on the door and opened it after getting the permission. Surprisingly Tristan ordered only Lucien to enter his chamber, he told Laurent and the guards to wait in the hallway.

"Yes, my lord," Laurent muttered, he was clearly confused.

Lucien was confused as well, but he obeyed quickly. Tristan was standing in front of the fireplace, he ordered Lucien to close the door.

"So," Tristan started after a moment of silence, his face was completely blank. "I assume you know why you are here?"

"Yes, my lord," Lucien replied as calmly as he could, he kept his eyes on the floor. Thankfully Nadine wasn't here.

"Hmm. And you don't deny that you deserve to be punished?"

"No, my lord."

Tristan was quiet for a moment before continuing.

"What would you say if I would pardon you?"

Lucien was more than confused; this had to be some kind of twisted joke. He had never heard that Tristan would have any kind of sense of humor, but if he had, this sounded like something that would amuse him.

"My lord?" he asked cautiously.

"Would you be grateful?" Tristan continued, his tone of voice held no emotion.

"I… Yes, my lord, of course."

"Good. I expect you to keep that in mind."

Lucien tried to desperately understand what was going on, why would Tristan pardon him?

"Of course, my lord," he muttered.

Tristan was quiet again and glanced at Lucien before slowly making his way to the wine carafe.

"I have heard that you have served my father well," he stated while picking up a wine goblet.

"I have done my best, my lord."

"Yes… I'm sure you know that I could easily improve your position, if I would choose to do so."

Lucien wasn't sure how to reply, he had no idea what was going on.

"Yes, my lord."

"If I would choose to grant you that kind of favor, I assume I would have your unconditional loyalty and gratitude?"

"Of course, my lord," Lucien muttered cautiously. There was no chance Tristan would do anything for him out of the goodness of his heart. But what could Tristan possibly want from Lucien, he didn't possess anything valuable.

"Good," Tristan stated simply. "I believe I could find use for a loyal servant like you. I could help you to take a better care of your sister."

Lucien swallowed; he suddenly had a very nasty feeling.

"May I ask what you mean by that, my lord?" he asked as calmly as he could.

"Is it not obvious? You are her only male relative, so I assume you have taken care of your responsibility to look after her?"

"Yes, my lord, of course, I would do anything for her."

"Hmm, I can see that and I can respect that. As you know, I am a brother myself and what kind of a brother wouldn't do anything to protect his sister? Do you agree?"

"Yes, my lord, I absolutely do."

"Very good. In that case, I believe we have some arrangements to make."

* * *

Klaus looked at the girl in front of him; he really wasn't sure what he was doing. And he wasn't sure why he had kept out of sight until Finn had left. Nadine had seemed to enjoy his company… So what, that was a good thing, Finn had made her smile. According to Lucien, she hadn't smiled after losing her family. It was a good thing that she had smiled. At Finn. She certainly wasn't smiling at Klaus; she looked down and curtsied rigidly before trying to get past him.

"Nadine, stop that," Klaus sighed. He had no choice but to keep blocking her way until she finally gave up and stopped. She still wasn't looking at him, she stared at the ground.

"Look, Nadine," he said. "I just want to know that you are alright."

She pressed her lips together and nodded.

"Could you please look at me?"

She didn't.

"Fine, but you will at least listen." He paused and sighed. "About what happened… I need you to know that I certainly don't think any less of you. I'm sorry I didn't do anything to help you…"

She looked up and determinedly shook her head, pointing at herself. He understood what she tried to say.

"Yes, I'm sure you are capable of looking after yourself, but…"

She shook her head again. He frowned.

"You really are stubborn, aren't you?"

She shrugged and tugged a stray hair behind her ear.

The corners of his mouth were twitching, she really was quite something.

"Alright, I understand." He paused and held out his hand. "Truce?"

She looked at him for a brief moment before nodding. Carefully he took her hand and kissed it.

"My lady," he said, using a very formal tone and bowed. She responded to that by curtsying.

"Those are nice looking apples you got there," he said and tried to take one. She frowned and slapped his hand.

He pretended to be shocked.

"What… I don't get one tiny apple?"

She shook her head; he could tell that she was amused.

"We'll just see about that…"

She backed away when he approached her; the next thing he realized was that he was chasing her across the orchard.

"I'm warning you, love, I won't leave here without that apple!"

She shook her head and ran faster. Obviously he could have easily caught her if he would have wanted to, but he kept his speed normal. There was something very pleasant about chasing her. To hear her heartbeat speeding up, her breathing quickening, her blood rushing faster through her veins… Before he could stop himself, he jumped on her. They both fell down on the ground; he ended up on top of her. She looked startled, but thankfully not hurt.

"I…I'm so sorry," he muttered. "I didn't mean… Are you alright?"

She looked at him for a moment with her big dark brown eyes before she nodded. He was still on top of her, for some reason he was unable to move. She smelled incredibly good. And her lips looked soft and inviting… She flinched when he touched her bottom lip with his thumb. That snapped him out of it, what the hell was he doing?

"I'm sorry…" he muttered. "I'm sorry, I'll just…"

He didn't have time to finish his sentence when he realized that someone was standing next to them.

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry," a female voice said. "I didn't mean to…interrupt anything."

Oh no… Klaus got up as quickly as he could, but the damage was already done.

"I don't believe we have met," the woman said, she was smiling sweetly. "I'm Lady Giselle."

Klaus needed to clear his throat before he managed to introduce himself. From the corner of his eye he saw that Nadine had got up as well, her face was red. Lady Giselle didn't pay any attention to her, she only concentrated on Klaus.

"Lord Niklaus!" Lady Aurora's voice called, she was approaching them with two other ladies. "There you are! We were wondering what have happened to you."

Somehow Klaus managed to remember his role, although he needed to struggle. Nadine was on her knees on the ground picking the apples up, all Klaus would have wanted to do was help her and tell her how sorry he was.

"I hope those are not for your master," Lady Giselle stated sharply.

Nadine nodded briefly, she kept her eyes down.

"I don't think so. You will go and pick him fresh ones. Right now."

Klaus gritted his teeth when Nadine curtsied and emptied the basket on the ground. This was all his fault, why on Earth had he thought that chasing her would be in any way a good idea? How stupid was he?

"This was my fault," he stated. "I didn't look where I was going and I accidently bumped into the young lady…"

"She is a servant," Lady Giselle cut in smiling. "Obviously the fault was hers. If you wish her to be punished, I can talk to Lord Tristan…"

"What, no! The fault was mine."

"I told you Lord Niklaus is a true gentleman," Lady Aurora said smiling. "Will you join us, my lord? I believe Lord Elijah was looking for you."

Unfortunately Klaus didn't have much choice. He had to force himself not to look at Nadine; the last thing he wanted was to cause her any more trouble. He had certainly done more than enough damage to her already.


	14. Chapter 14

**Part 14**

Nadine wanted to drop the basket on the ground and kick it when she marched back to the orchard. Fresh ones… Sure, right away, your highness. What a great taste Tristan had. Oh well, if anyone deserved a woman like Lady Giselle, it was him. Nadine took a deep breath and tried to calm down. She tried her best not to think about what had happened with Niklaus. His face… It had changed for a brief moment when he had stared at her. It had been the face of a beast. It had startled her, she couldn't deny that.

She didn't think that she would have been scared if it would have been Kol, he didn't even try to hide his nature, but Niklaus had somehow managed to let her guard down for a moment. That had been a stupid thing to do. She couldn't help but to wonder what would have happened if they would have been alone. He had kept saying how sorry he was, but would he have let her go? He had looked so…hungry. Still a part of her wanted to believe that he would have been able to control himself. Maybe.

It suddenly occurred to her how little she actually knew about what Niklaus and his family were. They drank blood. They were faster and stronger than humans and could jump high. That was pretty much it. Was it foolish to think that despite of all of that he wasn't a bad man? She had met plenty of bad men and he didn't seem to be like that. Still she needed to be more cautious for now on.

She reached the orchard before she remembered that she didn't have the ladders. All she needed was few apples; she could just climb a tree. Her left side was a little sore and her elbow hurt because it had hit the ground when she had fallen down, but that didn't stop her from climbing. She was tired, hungry and her dress was dirty, she just wanted to get back to the castle. The climbing itself wasn't difficult, this certainly wasn't the first time when she climbed a tree, but unfortunately the branch cracked before she could reach the apples. She fell painfully on her back and let out a weak whimper. This really wasn't her day…

"Hey! Did you hurt yourself, darling?" a familiar voice asked.

Really, really not her day… She felt dizzy and she needed to blink few times before she could see Kol's face hovering over her.

"Hey," he said and cupped her chin. "Look at me. That's it. Are you hurt?"

She really wasn't sure; right now her whole body was hurting.

"Alright, let's take a look…"

She kicked him when he tried to pull the hem of her dress up.

"I was just trying to help, darling," he stated innocently. "I wouldn't take advantage of a lady's distress."

She glared at him and shook her head. He seemed amused.

"Alright, as you wish. Can I at least help you up? Do you think you can stand?"

She wasn't sure about that, but she nodded.

"Alright."

Carefully he wrapped an arm around her and helped her into a sitting position.

"How do you feel?" he asked. "Anything broken?"

She wasn't sure, but she didn't think so. He ran his finger over her cheek and observed her face.

"I apologize for not getting to you faster. Sadly I was too far away."

She had no idea why he would be sorry about that, but she still nodded weakly.

"You poor thing," he hummed and put his arms around her.

She was too weak to care; she leaned her head on his shoulder and actually allowed him to comfort her. For some incomprehensible reason he was very tender with her, his hands stroked her back calmingly.

"There, there," he hummed. "Do you want to try to stand up?"

She nodded. He stood up first and took both of her hands.

"Alright, easy now."

Her legs were shaking a little when he helped her up, but thankfully she could stand. He supported her when she took few insecure steps.

"Everything alright, darling?" he asked.

She nodded, there didn't seem to be any broken bones. She could also think clearer when she glanced at him. Why was he being so nice to her? He smiled and touched her hair.

"It seems to me that you have had a rough day," he stated. "Perhaps I can help you a little."

She didn't have time to react when he picked up her basket and jumped in a tree. No more than three seconds later he returned, the basket was full of apples.

"Here," he said and handed the basket to her.

She looked at him suspiciously.

"No price," he assured. "Call it a gift."

She hesitated a moment before taking the basket, there was no chance that she could climb herself right now. She thanked him with a cautious nod.

"You're welcome, darling," he said. "Do you want me to walk you back to the castle?"

She shook her head, but not rudely. She simply didn't need any more trouble and she would no doubt have them if someone would see her with Kol.

"Alright. I will see you later then." He paused and seemed to remember something. "Oh, I almost forgot the reason why I came to look for you. I assume you know the Lady Giselle?"

Nadine frowned and nodded.

"Well, apparently she suspects… How should I put this delicately… That you and Lord Tristan are sharing a bed."

Nadine's eyes widened, she stared at Kol disbelievingly.

"Yes and if I have understood correctly, she is not a very nice lady, so I thought I should warn you."

Nadine nodded gratefully, although she still couldn't understand why he was helping her.

"I'm not so bad you know," he stated. "I can be nice."

She didn't really think so, but she had to admit that he had just helped her a lot.

"My offer is still on the table," he added. "I would be more than happy to help you."

For a moment she felt so exhausted than she wanted to accept his offer, just to make all her problems to go away. If only things could have been so easy. She wasn't stupid enough to think that they could be. She sighed and shook her head.

"Alright, as you wish," he said smiling. "Let me know if you change your mind."

She felt even more exhausted when she headed back to the castle. Lady Giselle thought that Nadine was trying to take her place… That was just perfect, like she didn't have enough problems already. Nadine had seen her getting rid of some of her competitors and it certainly hadn't been pretty. How was she supposed to convince Lady Giselle that she wasn't any kind of threat to her?

Well, this was a good way to start, she probably looked terrible. Her dress wasn't just dirty anymore, it was also tattered. She was nothing but grateful when she was back in the castle, she really hoped to sit down. Maybe she could have a moment to wash up and change her dress after taking the apples to Tristan's chamber. Thankfully he wasn't there. She placed the basket on the table and headed to the door, but of course Tristan was standing in the doorway. Couldn't she ever have a break? Tiredly she curtsied, her legs were shaking.

"Puppet?" he said. "What have happened?"

She pointed at the basket and tried her best to mimic climbing.

"You fell from the tree?"

She nodded.

"Right… Let me see."

Cautiously she looked up.

"Undress," he stated calmly.

No… Please no. He had already made her do this twice today, was just a little mercy too much to ask? That was a stupid question, of course it was. Tiredly she tried to let him know that she was hurting, but she doubted that he understood. Not that he would care anyway.

"I will just take a look at your injuries," he said, he sounded a bit tense. "That's all."

She gave up; there was no point of fighting. Fine, not that this day could get much worse. She turned her back on him and took her dress off. He was quiet for a brief moment before she felt his fingers touching her back. His sudden touch made her flinch, she couldn't help it.

"Does it hurt so much?" he asked. "You have a big bruise here; do you think something is broken?"

She shook her head.

"Are you sure, puppet? This looks bad."

She nodded, she felt dizzy again. Her vision started to blur and her legs were shaking violently.

"Puppet?"

Her legs couldn't hold her anymore; his arms catching her were the last thing she felt before she lost consciousness.


	15. Chapter 15

**Part 15**

Tristan was known for his perfect self-control, nothing startled him. He never showed his feelings to anyone, except sometimes to his sister. His father had once called him a perfect leader, he remained calm and in control in every situation. Almost every situation. He certainly hadn't prepared for this, having Nadine naked in his arms.

"Puppet?" he said as calmly as he could and lifted her up. Her petite body was completely limp. "Puppet? Nadine?"

She didn't react in any way, but thankfully she seemed to be breathing.

"Alright…" he muttered and carried her to his bed. For a moment he hesitated, should he put her on her back if something was broken? He didn't have much choice; he needed to listen to her heartbeat.

"It's alright, puppet," he muttered and placed her on the bed as carefully as he could. Despite of the certain…thoughts that crossed his mind, he still had enough decency to cover her breasts with a blanket before he pressed his ear against her chest. Fortunately her heartbeat sounded strong and steady. He listened to it for a while, certainly longer than would have been necessary. Her skin felt warm and soft, but he also noticed her other bruises. His poor puppet had really hurt herself. He raised his head and observed her face. She looked so fragile and completely defenseless. It made him feel something quite strange.

"Don't you worry, puppet," he murmured and touched her cheek. "I got you."

He marched to the hallway and ordered the first servant he saw to go and fetch his personal physician, Francis De La Croix. He also ordered two guards in front of his door, making it very clear to them that he didn't want to be disturbed. His guards, unlike most of the servants, knew how to keep their mouth shut, they didn't gossip.

Still he needed to let Nadine's brother know that she wouldn't be coming to their new quarters tonight. He had arranged them a room they could share and a better position for Lucien; he had no doubt that Nadine would appreciate that. She would be grateful. But first things first, she needed to be properly examined. She was right where he had left her when he returned to his chamber, she hadn't moved at all. Fortunately his physician arrived quickly.

"My lord," he said and bowed respectfully. "You sent for me?"

"Yes," Tristan replied, he was standing next to the bed. "I want you to examine her; she fell from the tree and fainted after walking back here."

Francis probably recognized Nadine, but he was smart enough for not to make any foolish remarks. Tristan had never before asked him to treat a servant, but obviously he did his job just as carefully and thoroughly as always.

"I do not think any of her bones are broken, my lord," Francis said after finishing the examination. "It seems that she hit her head, but I cannot see any severe injury. Her body needs some time to heal though."

"Yes…" Tristan muttered and glanced at Nadine. "She probably shouldn't be moved right now. Am I right?"

"Yes," Francis replied quickly. "You are absolutely right, my lord."

That was exactly what Tristan wanted to hear and of course Francis knew that, he was a smart man.

"Good. Anything I need to know?"

Francis looked confused.

"My lord?"

"Is there something she needs right now?" Tristan clarified.

"No, my lord. I believe what she needs is rest."

Tristan stood next to the bed for a while after Francis had left. It was getting dark, so he lit up few candles. Nadine looked very peaceful when he lied down beside her. She sighed weakly when he touched her cheek.

"You truly are beautiful, puppet," he muttered. "You have no idea how much I want you. I suppose I have always wanted you, I just didn't see it before I…" He paused and sighed. "It doesn't matter. None of this makes any sense… What are you doing to me?"

* * *

"How dare you?" Lady Giselle snapped. "Do you know who I am?"

"Yes, my lady," one of the guards replied. "I am afraid our orders were very clear, the lord doesn't wish to be disturbed. Not by anyone."

Lady Giselle gritted her teeth and looked at the door to Tristan's bedchamber. He was supposed to be with her tonight. He had never before cancelled their meeting. And what was even worse, he had sent a servant to inform her that he wasn't coming.

"Is he alone?" she asked, barely managing to control her anger.

"We don't know, my lady," the guard replied.

That meant no. The filthy little servant whore… This couldn't be possible, there was no chance he would humiliate her by sleeping with a worthless servant. How had that little harlot managed to pull this off? For a moment Lady Giselle wanted to push the guards aside and storm in or demand Tristan to come out. Fortunately she managed to control herself. Her lips curved into a smile.

"Alright. Good night, gentlemen."

"Good night, my lady."

She turned around and marched towards her own chamber. This needed to be handled properly. She would personally destroy the little servant whore.

* * *

Klaus was standing by the window in his chamber, looking at the night sky. He felt restless and irritated; the day certainly hadn't been good. He would have wanted to go and talk to Nadine, but surely she was sleeping already and he couldn't go to the quarters of the servants anyway. Well, he didn't want to stay here by himself either. Some company sounded nice. Absentmindedly he headed to the hallway, wondering what his siblings were doing. At least Kol was likely awake, but he probably wasn't in his chamber. Well, he would soon find out. Surprisingly Kol was in his chamber, he was sitting in the armchair when Klaus opened the door and walked in.

"Haven't you ever heard of knocking?" Kol snorted.

Klaus frowned when he noticed the girl who was sleeping in Kol's bed; she had all her clothes on.

"Isn't that your servant girl?" Klaus asked.

"Yes," Kol replied. "But she has a name you know. Emeline."

"Why is she sleeping in your bed?"

"She was tired. I told her she can rest here."

Klaus looked at him disbelievingly.

"Why would you do that?"

"Why not? She has served me well."

"Right… Are you feeding on her?"

"No," Kol huffed. "Is there a reason why you are here in this hour, brother?"

"Yes, I was wondering if…"

Klaus didn't finish his sentence when the girl suddenly started to moan in her sleep.

"Oh God… Oh, Roland…"

Klaus' eyes widened.

"Well, she seems to be having a happy dream," Kol stated.

"Yes…" Klaus muttered and cleared his throat, the girl was still moaning. "Perhaps you should wake her up."

Kol grinned.

"Why would I do that? Let the girl dream. She has had a crush on this Roland for a long time."

"How do you know that?"

"She told me."

"Uh huh…"

Kol frowned.

"What?"

"Nothing," Klaus replied. "Anyway, I was wondering if you want to have a drink or something. I could use some company."

"Sure, why not. I think my sweet Emeline needs some privacy anyway."


	16. Chapter 16

**Thank you for the reviews, favs and alerts. Happy Easter to you too, lyanna and everyone else :)**

* * *

 **Part 16**

No dreams. That was the first thing Tristan realized when he woke up, he hadn't had any dreams. His chamber was dark and quiet with only some faint light coming through the tall window. Obviously it was still very early. He sighed when he started to become aware of his surroundings. His cheek was leaning on something soft and he felt a warm woman's body curled up against him; his arms were around her. Her thigh rested between his and her dark hair was wrapped around his arm.

It took a brief moment before he realized who he was holding. Nadine. She was breathing peacefully; his cheek was leaning on the top of her head. She felt very nice. How had this happened? She had whimpered in her sleep and he had tried to calm her down. Clearly he had succeeded, her body felt completely relaxed. The strange thing was that he had never before held anyone like this. He didn't even hold his lovers after sex, he never had. Holding Nadine didn't feel too bad at all.

Very slowly he moved his head in order to see her. His puppet. Carefully he touched her sleep-pinked cheek and buried his fingers in her soft hair. He had no idea what he was doing; he only knew for sure that he wanted her more than he had ever wanted any woman. He wasn't sure how long he had looked at her when she opened her eyes and blinked sleepily. She looked much disoriented. He didn't move, trying not to startle her, but he could tell the exact moment when she became aware of his presence and recognized him. Her eyes widened in terror, the look in her eyes was the look of a trapped deer. He had hunted enough to recognize it.

"It's alright, puppet…" he started, but she seemed to be panicking, she struggled to squirm away from him. His soothing words didn't help; she was too scared and confused.

"Hey…"

She got up as quickly as she could since he didn't keep her in place by force, but her legs couldn't hold her. He caught her before she collapsed on the floor.

"Calm down, puppet, it's alright," he muttered and guided her back in the bed.

She was shaking, clearly she was very upset. Her fearful eyes looked at the undergarment she was wearing; she wrapped her arms around her. He had dressed her last night, but he hadn't had any of her clothes here. Her dress had been dirty, so the undergarment had seemed like a better option.

"It's alright, puppet," he repeated and sat down on the edge of the bed. "Can you remember what happened yesterday?"

She looked confused; she didn't nod or shook her head.

"You went to the orchard and hurt yourself," he continued. "Can you remember that?"

She hesitated for a moment before nodding, she wasn't looking at him.

"Then you came here, showed me your bruises and fainted. My physician examined you and said that you shouldn't be moved, so you rested here. How are you feeling now? Are you hurting?"

She blinked few times, looking more than confused.

"Are you hurting, puppet?"

Very cautiously she nodded.

"Where does it hurt?"

She pointed at her head and her back.

"Yes, you have a bruise there and my physician suspected that you hit your head. You need some time to recover."

Slowly she looked up; there was nothing but confusion in her eyes. Her question was very clear, why? Perhaps she thought that he would have simply left her on the floor or threw her out.

"You have served me well, puppet," he stated. "I am capable of showing mercy. In some rare occasions."

She didn't seem to know what to think; cautiously she glanced at the undergarment.

"Yes, that… If you recall, you had no clothes on when you fainted. Your dress was very dirty, so obviously you couldn't wear it, but I thought you would be more comfortable wearing at least something. Was I wrong?"

A flush was rising in her cheeks when she quickly shook her head.

"Good."

She bit her bottom lip and kept her eyes down; her arms were still wrapped around her.

"As I said, you couldn't be moved," he stated.

She was blushing even more.

"No need to be nervous, puppet. I am not as unreasonable as you seem to think, I do understand that you were hurt."

She wasn't looking at him, but he could easily see what was going on in her mind. He could probably understand her fear; she had been completely at his mercy. Still he wasn't very pleased by the way she apparently saw him.

"Perhaps you find this hard to believe, puppet, but I do have some standards," he stated coolly. "I wouldn't take advantage of a defenseless woman. I have no need to do something like that."

She nodded and blinked nervously.

"It's fine, I think we can forget the whole thing."

She nodded again and cautiously looked at him.

"Alright, as I said, you need some time to recover. I will give you couple of days for that."

Her eyes widened, but she got over her surprise quickly and nodded gratefully.

"You will have new living quarters, a room you can share with your brother."

Now she was definitely stunned, she stared at him disbelievingly.

"Does that please you, puppet?" he asked calmly.

Quickly she nodded and bowed her head.

"Good."

He really, really wanted to tell her to show him how grateful she was, but of course he didn't say it. This wasn't the right time.

* * *

Kol smiled when he returned to his chamber and glanced at the sleeping girl in his bed. His sweet Emeline wasn't very smart, but she had been useful to him. Slowly he walked over to the bed and observed her. Her mind was quite simple, easy to mold. Much easier than Tristan's mind, but he did enjoy a little challenge. It truly was strange how the human mind worked. He doubted that none of his siblings were able to manipulate people's dreams like he could; it was the only thing left of his magic.

He had discovered this ability a while ago, but he hadn't told anyone about it. Why would he when all his siblings did was complain. Everything was so difficult and unfair, their parents had turned them into monsters, their father wanted to kill them, blah, blah, blah. So what? Sure Kol had been bitter too at first, but why would he waste rest of his life for that. Being a warlock was the only thing he had ever been good at, it had been a part of him, the most important part, but now… It didn't matter. And Henrik…

He had been the only one of his siblings who Kol felt that had truly accepted him and cared about him. Elijah, Rebekah and Nik had always formed some kind of alliance and Finn liked to keep to himself. Kol had often felt like an outsider, but he wasn't complaining about it. He didn't expect anyone to understand how it felt like to lose something so important. He had no problem being a monster. In fact, it was liberating. Emeline sighed in her sleep.

"I love you, Roland," she murmured.

She really did. Kol had practiced with her, but he hadn't learned yet how to create dreams, only how to manipulate them. To bring out the hidden desires. The fact that Tristan had secretly drooled over his servant… It had been a lucky guess. All Kol had done was give Tristan a little push, his mind and his naughty hidden fantasies had done the rest.

The whole thing was nothing more than entertainment to Kol. A funny game to play. It really had been fun, but he probably wouldn't have started the whole thing if Nik wouldn't have told him to leave the girl alone. Well, he had left her alone. She would eventually be the one who would come to him. Still he wasn't completely heartless, so he had made sure that Tristan wasn't a savage, he wouldn't attack the girl. No, he would simply be very…friendly. Kol doubted that Nadine appreciated that. She would no doubt be looking for some help very soon.


	17. Chapter 17

**Thank you for all the feedback. About Tristan's feelings towards Nadine, they're complicated, but there's more than physical attraction. It wasn't his choice to acknowledge these feelings, so he's confused and tries to handle things the only way he knows how.**

* * *

 **Part 17**

"Easy, easy," Lucien said while helping Nadine to lie down. "Is this good? Are you comfortable?"

Nadine nodded; she could see how worried Lucien was. She tried to reassure him by touching his cheek. It didn't really help; he looked tense to say the least.

"Nadine…" he muttered. "I… I have to ask… Are you…alright? I mean… I know you were hurt and I was told that you couldn't be moved. I tried to come and see you, but the guards didn't let me in." He paused and looked even tenser. "Did… Did Tristan…"

She shook her head and took Lucien's hand. He wasn't convinced.

"Nadine, please, you don't have to spare my feelings, please tell me the truth. Did he hurt you?"

She shook her head more firmly; she couldn't bear to see the distress in his eyes. The truth was that she didn't know what had happened, but she certainly wasn't going to tell that to Lucien. Thankfully he seemed to believe her, he looked relieved. He wrapped his arms gently around her and kissed her forehead. They stayed like that for a while, but he had to go to work.

"Will you be alright here?" he asked. "Is there anything you need?"

She shook her head; he had already brought her some water, bread and an apple and placed them on the small table next to her bed. They both actually had beds now. The room was very nice and cozy.

"I will come and see you as often as I can," he said.

She nodded and kissed his hand. After he left, she allowed herself to close her eyes and take a deep breath. Her head hurt, but that was the least of her worries. She really wanted to believe that Tristan had told the truth. He must have, surely she would feel some pain if… She tried to concentrate on listening to her body. Her head, back and elbow hurt, but there was no pain in her most private place. That was a relief. Maybe he really had some standards. He had sounded sincere when he had said that.

In fact, he had sounded repulsed, probably by the idea of sleeping with a servant. Still she really couldn't understand what had happened. Why had he… Well, why had he done any of it, most of all letting her sleep in his bed? It made no sense to her. And this room… Why? What did he want? To see her taking more baths? He could just order her to do that, he didn't have to give her anything in return. This sudden change in him made absolutely no sense. Why was he acting like this? Unless…

Maybe he was displeased with the Lady Giselle and did this to make some kind of point? It sounded far-fetched, but it actually made some sense. Nothing would be more humiliating to Lady Giselle than Tristan favoring someone else, especially a servant. The problem was that Lady Giselle would never simply take that kind of humiliation; she would no doubt do something unpleasant. Nadine sighed, her headache was getting worse. She prayed that she was wrong about the whole Lady Giselle thing. What was she supposed to do if she wasn't wrong? She sighed again and closed her eyes. Thankfully she was able to fall asleep. She had no idea how long she had slept when she felt someone touching her cheek.

" _I'm sorry…"_

Her eyes flew open; she was ready to defend herself. There was no one in the room with her. Carefully she got into a sitting position and noticed that the door was slightly open. Someone had been here. She swallowed and stood up, although her legs were shaking a little. Slowly she managed to make her way to the hallway. There was no one there either.

"Miss Nadine?"

She startled when she heard the voice from behind her back, quickly she turned around.

"I apologize," Finn said. "It was not my intention to scare you."

Her heart was still pounding, but somehow she managed to curtsy.

"I was sorry to hear that you are unwell," he continued. "Some kind of an accident?"

She nodded and looked at him; she really needed to ask him if he had seen someone coming from her room. She tried her best to form the question with her hands.

"Have I seen…?"

She nodded and continued. She had to try few times before he guessed right.

"There was someone in your room?"

She nodded.

"I did not see anyone," he said. "May I have your permission to take a look inside?"

She hesitated a brief moment before nodding, she really didn't think there was anyone hiding in there anymore.

"Thank you."

The room was quite small; he was able to inspect it quickly. It also seemed that he was sniffing the air. His expression didn't change, he looked just as calm as usual.

"Well, at least this person is gone now," he stated. "I apologize for not being able to help you more."

She shook her head and thanked him with a bow.

"Perhaps you should try to get some rest," he suggested. "It seems to me that the door can be bolted from the inside."

It could and she would definitely do that. At least that way no one could sneak in on her when she slept.

"Will you be alright by yourself?"

She nodded.

"Alright, if you are sure…"

She nodded and thanked him again with a bow.

"I really didn't do anything," he replied. "I hope you will get well soon."

* * *

Klaus stormed across the hallway, he really didn't know where he was going. He definitely didn't want to run into anyone right now. He had run into Lucien earlier and he had told Klaus about Nadine, how she had hit her head yesterday in the orchard. Klaus had been too much of a coward to take responsibility of his actions and confess to Lucien what he had done. He had hurt Nadine much worse than he had thought. No wonder, he had been too occupied to really notice anything else than her heartbeat and the smell of her blood. He was a monster, there was no point denying that. She probably never wanted to see him again and he really couldn't blame her…

"Niklaus!"

Reluctantly Klaus stopped when he heard Finn's voice and turned around.

"What is it?" Klaus asked tensely when Finn reached him.

"What were you doing in the mute servant girl's room?" Finn asked. "You scared her."

"What?" Klaus muttered.

"I smelled you," Finn replied.

Klaus frowned.

"What were _you_ doing there?"

"I met her in the hallway and I offered my assistance. Now answer my question, what were you doing there?"

"That's none of your business," Klaus snapped.

Finn crossed his arms and looked at Klaus harshly. Klaus hated that judgmental look, especially now. Finn thought that he was so much better than the rest of them; he had never lost his self-control. Well good for him.

"Niklaus…"

"Stay out of this," Klaus snarled and marched away. He was in no mood to continue this conversation; he just needed to get away. He looked for a quiet place and eventually ended up in the chapel. He wasn't a Christian and he didn't really believe in anything, but he had nothing against the Christian worship places. The chapel was quiet and he could use a moment by himself, so he took a seat. There were candles burning in front of the altar. He stared at the flames and sighed. He needed to get a grip.

"Lord Niklaus?"

He stood up as quickly as he could and turned around to greet the Lady Aurora.

"My lady."

"You are here to pray?" she asked smiling.

"Not really," he muttered.

"Oh? I come here every day to pray. Perhaps you would like to join me?"

"I doubt that anyone would listen to my prayers," he huffed before he managed to stop himself.

"Why would you think that?" Aurora asked.

Klaus sighed and shook his head.

"Never mind. I should probably…"

"No, please stay. It seems to me that you could use someone to talk to. It helps, you know."

"Not in this case I'm afraid."

Aurora was quiet for a moment before replying.

"May I pray for you, my lord? Would you let me do that?"

Klaus didn't really know what to say, but he didn't think it would have been polite to refuse. Why wouldn't he stay for a moment? There was no way it could make things worse than they already were.


	18. Chapter 18

**Part 18**

2 days later

Tristan tried his best to concentrate on listening to Lady Giselle, but he hadn't really heard a word she had said. His mind was somewhere far away. Nadine was just removing his belt with her teeth and rubbing her naked body against him. She was driving him crazy. His dreams were driving him crazy. The fact that he hadn't seen Nadine in two days had made them even worse. There had to be a way to make them stop, he didn't know how much more he could take…

"My love? My love?"

"Hmm?" he muttered absentmindedly.

"Are you not hungry?"

He had barely touched his food, he didn't have much appetite.

"Not really."

Lady Giselle looked at him across the table.

"What is troubling you?"

"Nothing, I simply have…a lot on my mind," he replied.

"I can see that," she purred and stood up. She looked nothing but gorgeous wearing a red silk gown. Her blonde hair was down, just the way he liked it. Everything was supposed to be perfect, just like always when he spent the evening with her. First dinner and conversation, then sex. She smiled and moved behind him.

"Let's see if I can help you to relax," she purred and started to massage his shoulders. He sighed and closed his eyes.

"That feels good, puppet."

He was too lost in his thoughts to realize what he had just said and he didn't see the shock on Lady Giselle's face. She continued massaging him for a while before she leaned down and planted seductive kisses all over his neck.

"My love?" she hummed between kisses. "I need to talk to you about something."

"Yes, sure."

She ran her fingers softly over his cheek and sat down on his lap.

"What is it?" he asked.

She blinked few times and twirled her hair around her finger.

"This is a little delicate matter, but I think you want to hear this."

He waited for her to continue, but she didn't.

"Yes?"

"Well… This is about one of the servants who acted very improperly in public."

"Improperly how?"

"Like a harlot. She was caught near the garden lying on the ground; one of Count de Quise's sons, the Lord Niklaus, was on top of her. Unfortunately I saw it with my own eyes."

The matter didn't really interest Tristan, but he needed to take care of his responsibilities.

"She needs to be punished, yes?" Lady Giselle stated.

Tristan nodded absentmindedly.

"Yes, obviously. Who was this servant?"

"Oh, I think she is one of yours. The mute one."

Tristan froze.

"What?"

"Yes, I was shocked too…"

"When was this?" Tristan cut in, his voice held no emotion.

"Three days ago…"

Tristan shoved Lady Giselle off his lap and stood up. He was unable to think clearly, he was beyond apoplectic. His puppet…

"Punish her good, my love," Lady Giselle purred when he marched to the door.

Tristan didn't say anything until he reached one of his guards.

"Bring Nadine to my chamber," he snarled. "Now!"

The guard certainly understood that he wasn't kidding and left running to pick up Nadine. Tristan went straight to his chamber; he was still unable to think properly. He had never felt anything like this. Someone had touched his puppet… Someone was about to pay for that. It didn't take long when Nadine arrived, clearly she had been sleeping. She was wearing a long grey nightgown, her hair was down and she looked sleepy. Still her dark brown eyes were vigilant; she curtsied when she entered his chamber. He stared at her piercingly; he needed a moment before he could move. She startled when he marched towards her and slammed the door shut.

"So," he started, his voice was dangerously calm. "I just heard something quite interesting." He paused and looked at her. "About you and the Lord Niklaus."

Nadine blinked nervously; Tristan stepped in front of her and took a hold of her chin.

"What happened three days ago, puppet?"

She had the frightened deer look in her eyes again; she was shaking her head. That infuriated him even more.

"How dare you to lie to me," he snarled. "You were seen with him, he was lying on top of you!"

He really couldn't understand why this was making him so angry; he had never felt something like this. She looked desperate and he finally managed to pull himself together enough to remember that she couldn't tell him anything with words. Somehow he managed to calm down enough to take a step back.

"Show me what happened," he demanded.

She nodded quickly and mimicked picking the apples and placing them in the basket.

"You were picking the apples?"

She nodded and mimicked running.

"You were running? Why were you running?"

She pointed at her eyes.

"You saw…"

She moved her hand and squirmed.

"A snake?"

She nodded.

"You saw a snake and you ran. Then what?"

She hesitated for a brief moment, clearly she was nervous.

"Let's say I am Lord Niklaus," Tristan said. "Show me what happened."

She nodded and mimicked running again, moving in front of him. Carefully she bumped into him and fell down on the floor.

"So you ran into him and you lost your balance?"

She nodded and motioned him to fall down too. He kept his face free from emotion when he crawled on top of her, supporting his weight on one arm. Her delicate frame felt warm and inviting under him, he had to really concentrate to ignore his body's urges.

"Like this?"

She nodded.

"Then what happened?"

She shook her head.

"Nothing? Really?"

She nodded.

He stared into her eyes and clearly felt how nervous she was. He didn't believe anything she had just told him. No, her injuries implied that the truth was much uglier. Obviously Nadine would never make any kind of accusations against a nobleman, all the servants knew better. Had that bastard… No, Francis would have seen if she would have been injured like that. Still she had no doubt been attacked; Tristan didn't think for a second that his poor innocent puppet would have been a willing participant.

"He didn't touch you?"

She shook her head and blinked her eyes nervously when he leaned closer.

"Look at me, puppet."

She obeyed, but she looked even more nervous.

"You know you belong to me, don't you?"

She tensed a little, but she nodded. He observed her face and softly touched her cheek.

"That means you are under my protection. Do you understand?"

Clearly she didn't.

"No need to worry about anything."

He got up and held out his hand for her. She looked surprised, but she took his hand and let him help her to her feet.

"Your brother told me you are feeling a little better," he stated.

She nodded.

"That's good. Go back to rest then, I want you to get better as soon as possible."

She looked very confused, but she curtsied and left. He took a deep breath, giving himself a moment to calm down and process the whole thing. As always, his mind worked efficiently and systematically. After he was finished, he called for Laurent who arrived quickly.

"I want to know everything about Count de Quise's children," Tristan stated, he was his calm and rational self again. "Especially about the Lord Niklaus."


	19. Chapter 19

**Part 19**

Nadine had no idea what had just happened when she headed back to her room. Had Tristan actually believed her terrible explanation? Of course she should have known that he would eventually hear about what had happened, but she had been too occupied to remember the whole thing. Had she really got away with it so easily? She doubted that. Maybe he hadn't punished her yet, but that didn't mean he wouldn't punish her at all. It didn't really matter. She felt stronger now after resting couple of days.

"What happened?" Lucien asked as soon as she opened the door to their room. "What did he want?"

Nadine shrugged; she managed to look very carefree.

Lucien sighed and shook his head.

"How nice. Dragging you out of bed in this hour for fun…"

Nadine walked over to him and touched his shoulder. Lucien smiled at her tiredly and kissed her forehead.

"Let's go back to sleep," he sighed and lied down on his bed.

She nodded and hesitated for a moment before pointing at herself and his bed.

"You want to sleep in my bed?"

She nodded; she felt that she needed the security his closeness always gave her. For the last two days she had been afraid to close her eyes when Lucien wasn't here, she had feared that someone would attack her when she slept. She had kept the door bolted, but it hadn't really helped. When they had been children, Nadine and Lucien had often slept in the same bed; he had protected her from all the bad things her vivid imagination had created. She has never had any nightmares when he had been with her. Of course she understood that they weren't children anymore and she certainly didn't want to make him uncomfortable, but she hoped that he could do this for her. Thankfully he didn't seem to be uncomfortable at all.

"Of course, sister."

She nodded gratefully and lied down beside him. The bed was narrow, there wasn't much room, but that didn't matter. Nadine fell asleep almost immediately and slept peacefully. So peacefully that she didn't wake up when Lucien got up and went to work. A knock on the door finally woke her up, she felt disoriented. The door opened and a servant girl called Aimee entered the room with a tray. Nadine got quickly into a sitting position.

"Breakfast for you," Aimee stated, her tone of voice was contemptuous.

Nadine looked at her disbelievingly, why was she bringing her breakfast?

"From the Lord Tristan," Aimee continued. "He wishes you to eat and get dressed."

What?

"You must have really…served him well," Aimee said smiling, her smile was mocking. "Good for you. Enjoy your breakfast. And this lovely room."

She muttered something on her way out, Nadine could easily pick up the word "whore". Great. That must be how all the servants saw her now. She hadn't really seen anyone else than Lucien during the last couple of days, but she should have known there would be rumors; Tristan never did favors to servants. She was officially his whore now. Just perfect. She tried her best not to think about what Lady Giselle would do when she would hear these rumors, if she hadn't heard them already.

This could affect to Lucien as well. No, there had to be something she could do to protect her brother. She didn't touch her breakfast; she had certainly lost all her appetite. Slowly she got up, washed her face and brushed her hair. Alright, she needed to get dressed and find out what Tristan wanted. She had just taken her nightgown off when the door opened; she had been too distracted to bolt it. She didn't have time to do anything except trying to cover herself with the nightgown. Kol marched in and grinned when he saw her.

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry, darling."

She glared at him and pointed at the door.

"Yes, I know I should have knocked," he said, intentionally misinterpreting her. "My deepest apologies."

She pointed at the door again, this time more firmly.

"I need to have a word with you, darling," he stated. "It's very important."

She shook her head angrily and pointed at the nightgown. There was no way she would do this without having any clothes on. He smiled charmingly.

"Your…outfit doesn't bother me, no need to worry about that."

Her angry scowl made him sigh.

"Alright, alright," he huffed and turned around.

She grabbed her dress and got dressed as quickly as she could.

"Are we done?" he asked and turned to look at her.

She wrapped her arms around her and looked at him cautiously. He raised an eyebrow.

"Why so nervous, darling? I thought we were friends already."

She really wouldn't have called them friends, but she did owe him one.

"First of all, I am glad to see you are feeling better," he said. "And it's wonderful you have nicer living quarters now. How generous of your master."

She frowned, where was he going with this? He smiled and took a step towards her, instinctively she backed away.

"The thing is, darling…"

"Lord Kol," Tristan's cold voice suddenly said.

Nadine curtsied quickly when she saw him standing in the doorway; Kol rolled his eyes before he turned around to face him.

"Lord Tristan."

"Are you lost?" Tristan inquired, his face was completely callous.

"No, I am not."

"What brings you here then?"

"I was looking for her brother," Kol lied casually.

Tristan stared at him piercingly.

"As you can see, he is not here."

"Yes, I can see that," Kol replied.

Nadine swallowed when they both stared at each other.

"Well, I should probably go then," Kol finally stated.

"Yes, I believe you should. Unfortunately there is nothing for you in this room," Tristan replied.

Kol smiled and headed to the door.

"And Lord Kol…" Tristan added when Kol was passing him. "I trust you will look for…her brother elsewhere for now on. He is barely ever here."

"Ah. Good to know." He paused and glanced at Nadine. "I apologize for the intrusion. Good day, my lord."

Tristan was quiet for a while after Kol had left; Nadine tried her best to stay calm when he closed the door.

"Everything alright, puppet?" he asked.

She nodded.

"Good. The men in that family seem to have…certain things in common," he muttered.

Nadine had no idea what he was talking about and he didn't clarify what he had meant. Instead he walked over to her and cupped her chin.

"Alright, listen to me very carefully now." He paused and made sure that she was looking into his eyes. "If anyone, and I mean anyone, a nobleman, a servant, it makes no difference, harasses you in any way, I want you to come to me immediately. Do you understand?"

She was confused, but she nodded.

"Good. Come to me and touch my wrist like this. That way I will know what you want to tell me."

She was even more confused, none of this made any sense to her. He was looking at her very strangely, she couldn't interpret his look. She startled when he leaned forward and touched her cheek.

"I want you to know that I will protect you, puppet, you can count on that."

What… Had he lost his mind? Well, he _had_ acted strangely for a while now, so…

"Now, what I want is for you to join me, if you feel that you are strong enough to go outside?"

Outside? Sure… She nodded.

"Good. Are you ready to go?"

She nodded again, hoping to know where they were going. His very strange behavior made her nothing but nervous. Cautiously she followed him to the hallway. Could this be some kind of punishment? It could. Great. She walked behind him, like she was supposed to do. She looked up when she noticed Niklaus walking towards them, she was happy to see him. He stopped in front of Tristan.

"Lord Niklaus," Tristan stated.

"Lord Tristan. How are you?"

"Fine, thank you. And you?"

"Fine. Please excuse me; I am afraid I am in a hurry."

Niklaus didn't pay any attention to Nadine, like she wouldn't have been there at all. He didn't even glance at her when he passed her. That hurt. Well, maybe he had become a real lord then. Good for him.


	20. Chapter 20

**Part 20**

Klaus pressed his lips together when he walked away, he certainly wouldn't have wanted to run into Nadine. He needed to stay as far away from her as he could. The last thing he wanted was to hurt her more than he already had. Thankfully she had seemed to be feeling better. He sighed and tried not to think about her. Surely she would be fine; she was a strong girl who didn't need a savior. Not that he was anyone's savior.

"Niklaus," Elijah's voice suddenly said, he didn't sound very pleased.

"Yes?" Klaus muttered and turned to look at him.

Elijah's expression was harsh.

"I just heard some very unpleasant rumors," he stated.

Klaus frowned.

"And?"

"About you and some servant girl. Out in public. What did you think you were doing?"

"Nothing," Klaus replied tensely. "It was an accident…"

"An accident?" Elijah repeated coolly. "Once again I remind you that it was you who wanted us to come here, not me. Do you have any idea how hard I have worked in order for us to blend in? And you almost "accidently" ruined all my work. Not even Kol is foolish enough to chase servants in public."

"It wasn't like that…"

"I don't care. Just make sure it won't happen again, if you still want to stay here."

Klaus gritted his teeth when his brother marched away. It was easy for Elijah to talk when his self-control was almost as good as Finn's. Klaus had always envied them both for it. He didn't enjoy being a monster and he hadn't asked to become one. Not that it mattered, he was what he was. He had killed his own mother. How could he ever deserve forgiveness after that?

Once again he thought about Nadine. Her mother had been killed in front of her. She would be nothing but disgusted if she would know what he had done. He sighed and headed to the chapel, just like yesterday and the day before that. He really wasn't sure what he was doing. The chapel was just as quiet as always, he sat down and looked at the altar.

He didn't have to wait for long when the Lady Aurora arrived. She smiled at him sweetly when he greeted her. They both kneeled when she prayed; once again she also wanted to pray for him. She was a sweet young woman whose beauty was undeniably incomparable. Everything about her said that she needed to be protected, like a delicate flower she was. Klaus did find her more than attractive and he couldn't deny that he enjoyed her company, but… No, there was nothing more to it. The best thing he could do for Nadine was to leave her alone.

* * *

Finn had always been a man of few words; he rarely spoke unless he really had something to say. He enjoyed silence, he always had. That didn't mean he wouldn't have craved for some company for every now and then. He did feel lonely sometimes and the company of his siblings didn't really help. He missed his sweet, kindhearted Etta, the love of his life. She had been a modest, hardworking young woman who hadn't spoken much. Yet the silence between them had never been uncomfortable, they had simply enjoyed each other's presence.

That was Finn was hoping to find again, companionship. He watched from a distance when Nadine followed her master across the hallway. She reminded Finn of Etta more ways than one. Maybe he was a fool, but he had played with the idea for days. Was there a chance that she would want to come with him when he would leave? All he hoped for was companionship and maybe in time some affection.

He found her company very pleasant and he could offer her his protection. The problem was that he had no idea how to approach her with this. Back home a proper courtship had entailed petitioning the girl's father or her closest male relative for the right to be considered a potential suitor. Nadine's closest male relative was her brother. Finn doubted that he would agree to this, not after seeing what Finn and his siblings were. Of course Finn had his own doubts as well, how could a monster like him deserve companionship?

No, he didn't think that he deserved it, but that didn't mean he wouldn't have hoped for it. This girl deserved something better than a life of a servant. It was true that Finn barely knew her, but there was something about her that appealed to him. Some nasty little voice in the back of his head said that he was simply trying to replace Etta. Maybe he was, but was that really so wrong? He would look after the girl, be loyal to her and treat her nothing but respectfully, just like a companion deserved to be treated. That was if he would eventually find the courage to approach her brother. And if Nadine herself would accept his offer. He doubted that she would, but surely he could ask.

* * *

Tristan had to struggle to keep his face callous. Unfortunately he wasn't ready to deal with the Lord Niklaus yet. Soon he would be. No one hurt his puppet without some severe consequences. She was walking behind him; her presence helped him think clearer. It took a moment before he understood why. He wasn't daydreaming about her. That was a relief. And quite interesting. He hadn't dreamt of her when she had slept in his bed… He had almost forgotten that.

Was that really all it took for him to have a goodnight sleep? He could really use that, he hadn't slept well in days. What bothered him the most was that he couldn't understand his own thoughts and feelings. That wasn't good at all. Why was this happening? How had she managed to do this to him? He didn't have answers to those questions; all he knew was that he needed to deal with this. She followed him outside; he led her to his private garden. The chairs and the table were ready under the sunshade, just like he had ordered. There were grapes, apples, bread, cheese and wine on the table.

"Take a seat, puppet," he said when they reached the sunshade.

She looked very confused, but obviously she obeyed. He sat down as well and waved his hand towards the table.

"Go ahead, take whatever you want."

She looked at him like she would have suspected that he had lost his mind. Well, he probably had.

"I thought some fresh air would do you good," he stated. "Help you recover sooner."

She still looked confused, but she nodded cautiously.

"Have you liked the room?"

She nodded.

"That's good… And your brother is well, I trust?"

She nodded. He was quiet for a moment before continuing.

"And you? Are you well, puppet?"

Once again she nodded.

"Good, good… Have some wine."

She stood up, poured wine into the goblet and handed it to him.

"No, I meant for you to have the wine."

There it was again, had he lost his mind look. This wasn't going well at all.

"Just drink it and enjoy it," he muttered tensely. "And have something to eat too."

Cautiously she sat down and took a sip out of the goblet.

"So…" he continued after an awkward silence. "How is the wine?"

She bit her bottom lip and nodded.

"You like it?"

Another nod.

"It is one of my favorites too. What else do you like, puppet?"

She looked up, once again confused by his question.

"What kind of things do you enjoy?" he clarified, keeping his voice free from emotion.

She stared at him disbelievingly.

"I am simply trying to make conversation," he stated. "What kinds of things do you enjoy?"

She hesitated for a moment before pointing at the sun.

"Sunlight? Alright, what else?"

She pointed at the rosebush.

"Flowers? What else?"

She pointed at the food on the table.

"Ah, I see."

She certainly enjoyed modest things. He could give her so much more. For a moment he imagined what she would look like wearing a silk gown and a jewel necklace. She could be his little jewel. That was definitely what he wanted. He wanted her to be happy and feel safe with him. That sounded strange, he had never felt something like this. Was he…? No, definitely not. He wasn't in love with her, how could he be? The more probable explanation was that he was indeed losing his mind.


	21. Chapter 21

**Part 21**

Kol smiled while observing Tristan and Nadine in the garden. The whole thing was becoming more interesting than he could have ever imagined. A fascinating experiment indeed. Tristan's eyes were on Nadine the whole time and he was asking her questions; it seemed that he was actually trying to learn something about her. And he had seemed to be very possessive of her. Possessive like a jealous spouse. Who would have ever guessed… Did the notorious lord who everyone was afraid of really have some deeper feelings for his pretty little servant? That was an amusing thought. Nadine however didn't seem amused at all; she was nothing but confused and cautious. Poor thing.

"So…" Tristan said after a moment of silence. "The weather is nice today, would you agree?"

She nodded.

"Do you enjoy taking a walk on a sunny day?"

She nodded again.

"How about riding?"

She bit her bottom lip and hesitated for a moment before nodding.

"Have you ever had your own horse?"

She shook her head.

"Do you like horses?"

She nodded.

"Good to know," he muttered and waved his hand towards the table. "Eat something, puppet. Take whatever you want."

She looked at him cautiously and picked up few grapes.

"You like grapes?"

She nodded.

"Me too."

He was quiet for a moment and looked at her when she ate.

"Do you usually get enough to eat, puppet?"

Her eyes widened, she seemed stunned by his question. He pressed his lips together.

"I take that as a no," he stated. "That should not be the case and it won't be anymore. No need to worry, I will make sure you won't be hungry again. I will take care of you, puppet, I promise."

She looked more and more confused, but she thanked him with a nod. His gaze was becoming more intense when he leaned towards her.

"There is something I need you to do for me…"

"My love!" Lady Giselle's voice suddenly said, she was determinedly walking towards Tristan and Nadine. Kol grinned, he hadn't noticed her. Neither had Tristan and he didn't seem very pleased. Nadine stood up and curtsied, but Lady Giselle didn't pay any attention to her.

"My lady, "Tristan greeted her rigidly. "I am afraid this isn't a good time…"

"I missed you, my love," she cut in smiling and took Nadine's seat.

Tristan's expression tensed, Lady Giselle blinked her eyes seductively and took his hand.

"You look stressed, my love. Let me help you." She paused and glanced at Nadine. "Leave us."

"No," Tristan said firmly before Nadine obeyed.

Lady Giselle looked everything but pleased, but she kept the smile on her face.

"I want her to leave, my love. Make her leave," she purred and tried to sit on Tristan's lap, but he stood up.

"My lady," he started coolly. "As I said, this isn't a good time. I shall meet you later."

Lady Giselle stared at him disbelievingly.

"My love… Surely you don't mean that…"

"I do not have a habit of saying things I do not mean," he cut in sharply. "I shall meet you later, my lady."

There was a glimpse of something very dark in Lady Giselle's eyes, but it was gone in a fraction of a second.

"Of course, my love," she said smiling. "As you wish."

She turned around and walked away, Kol could easily see the rage in her eyes. Oh dear…

"It's alright, puppet," Tristan said calmly after Lady Giselle had left.

Nadine looked nervous; she wrapped her arms around her. Tristan stepped in front of her and cupped her face.

"Hey, it's alright," he repeated. "She won't bother you; I will make sure of that."

She blinked nervously when he stroked her cheek with his thumb.

"Don't be afraid of me, puppet," he muttered, staring at her. "I'm not going to hurt you…"

She turned her head away when he leaned closed. He cleared his throat and took a step back.

"Alright… Where were we…?"

He sat down and motioned her to do the same.

"Eat, puppet. And tell me what else you like."

Poor girl, clearly she had no idea what to think. There was no doubt that her master truly was crazy about her. This was probably the first time Tristan had ever felt like this and he seemed to have trouble handling such feelings. It seemed that he was ready to do pretty much anything to have Nadine. Kol had to admit that he was surprised she hadn't asked for his help already. Oh well, he had time to wait.

"Kol?" Elijah's voice suddenly said. "What are you doing?"

Kol turned to look at him.

"Nothing, just admiring the view."

Elijah glanced at Tristan and Nadine and frowned.

"Isn't that Lucien's sister?"

Kol shrugged innocently.

"Yes, I think it is."

"Why are you looking at her?"

"Why not? She is not unpleasant to look at."

"Yes, apparently you are not the only one who thinks so," Elijah replied dryly. "I feel sorry for her brother if the rumors are true."

Kol turned to look at him.

"What rumors?"

Elijah shook his head.

"Never mind. What I wanted to talk to you about was your…shall we say nighttime activities."

Kol grinned.

"What about them?"

Elijah looked at him harshly.

"I think you know. You have almost exposed us more than once."

"No, I haven't," Kol snorted and waved his hand. "I haven't left anyone alive to tattle."

Elijah sighed and shook his head.

"Kol…"

"Don't start, big brother, I'm not in the mood for your sermons."

Elijah pressed his lips together, he looked tired.

"I know we have all changed, but you… What happened to you?"

"I adapted," Kol replied smiling. "So should you. We are not humans anymore, we are monsters. Why not enjoy it?"

"Maybe we are not humans, but that doesn't mean we should simply abandon our humanity," Elijah stated.

Kol snorted contemptuously.

"Humanity? Oh please. You have taken lives just like I have."

"Yes, I have, but I do not take pleasure in it. Neither do Rebekah or Niklaus."

Kol smiled.

"Are you sure about that? I bet Nik could easily become even worse than me."

"I don't believe that even for a second," Elijah replied firmly.

Kol shrugged.

"Then maybe you don't know our brother as well as you like to think.

Elijah shook his head, but Kol knew he was right. He had seen a glimpse of all the suppressed anger in Nik. Elijah was too blind to see it; he had always coddled Nik. Kol's own anger had made him what he was and he had no doubt that the same thing would happen to Nik sooner or later. That would most definitely be interesting.


	22. Chapter 22

**Part 22**

Nadine sat on her bed wearing her grey nightgown. The room was dark, so she had lit up two candles. She had never been so confused in her life. What was going on? It seemed that Tristan had indeed lost his mind. What would that mean to her and Lucien? What did Tristan want from her? Well, she had a pretty good idea, but once again she could be wrong. If he wanted her body, why didn't he just take it? Many noblemen did that, servant girls had no right to refuse them.

Tristan had absolutely no need to show Nadine kindness, she wasn't a lady he needed to court in order to get what he wanted. But again, what did he want? His behavior made no sense to her. Why would he possibly want to know what she liked? She had spent the whole day with him; he had wanted her to accompany him everywhere when he had taken care of his duties. He had said that he needed her to stay near him. Why? She sighed tiredly, she was so confused. If she could only understand what was going on with him… A quiet knock on the door cut off her thoughts.

"It's me," Lucien's voice said.

Quickly Nadine stood up and unbolted the door. Her brother was looking at her with furrowed brows; she could immediately see how tense he was. There were two guards standing few steps away from the door, Tristan had ordered them to make sure that no one, except Lucien, would enter Nadine's room. He had said that he wanted "his puppet" to be safe. Lucien didn't say a word before closing the door and bolting it.

"Nadine," he started tensely. "What…"

He paused when he noticed all the food on the table. Their supper. Lucien's eyes widened, but his expression tensed when he took a hold of Nadine's arms.

"Please, sister… Tell me it is not true. The rumors…"

Nadine shook her head as firmly as she could. Lucien leaned closed and looked into her eyes.

"I… I need you to know that I would never think… If he has…"

Nadine shook her head again. Lucien was quiet for a long while before speaking.

"If he has not done that, then why…"

Nadine sighed and shook her head; she didn't have an answer to that. Lucien pressed his lips together and wrapped his arms tightly around Nadine.

"I am so sorry," he murmured. "I am your brother, I should be your protector, but all I have done is failed you…"

Nadine pulled away immediately and slapped Lucien's cheek, not roughly enough to hurt him, but still firmly enough to really stun him. She looked at him harshly and shook her head. Determinedly she pointed at him and placed both of her hands on her chest above her heart. The last thing she wanted was him to feel bad; he had done everything he could for her. He was still unable to speak when she kissed his cheek and leaned her head on his shoulder.

"I love you too," he muttered after a long silence.

She took his hand and led him to the small table, pointing at the food. He didn't argue, clearly he was hungry. They both ate in silence; she was more than happy to see him for once having enough to eat. If there was something good in Tristan's bizarre behavior, it was this. After they had eaten, she pointed at him and his bed; she could easily see how tired he was. Again he didn't argue with her, perhaps he understood how useless that would be. The thought made her smile. He looked at her face and smiled too.

"I have missed your smile, sister," he said.

She was confused for a moment before she remembered that he hadn't seen her smiling after she had been brought here. She asked again if she could sleep in his bed and she was happy when he agreed. She felt safe when he was beside her. Again she didn't want to make him uncomfortable, so she observed his reaction when she curled up against him, just like she had done when they had been children. He didn't tense or push her away; instead he wrapped an arm around her. She was nothing but grateful for that, the sound of his heartbeat calmed her. She had just fallen asleep when the banging on the door woke her up.

"Open the door!" a male voice demanded.

"Stay there," Lucien whispered and went to unbolt the door.

One of the guards marched in and looked at Nadine.

"She will come with me," he said.

"What, why?" Lucien asked.

"Lord Tristan's order. Get up, girl."

Lucien clenched his fists, Nadine got up quickly before he managed to say anything. She moved in front of Lucien and cupped his face, trying her best to convince him that she would be alright.

"Nadine…"

"Move, girl," the guard ordered. "The lord does not like to be kept waiting."

Obviously Nadine was aware of that, she kissed Lucien's cheek and gave him a calming smile. She hated to see the distress in his eyes and she hoped that she could return to him soon. The guard didn't say a word to her when he escorted her to Tristan's chamber. What did he want now? Cautiously she entered after getting his permission. Tristan was standing in front of the fireplace with his back turned to the door; he was wearing nothing except a pair of pants. Nadine swallowed; she had a very bad feeling about this.

"Come here, puppet," he muttered, he didn't turn to look at her.

Somehow she managed to obey, but she still kept her distance. He took a deep breath and turned to face her. She couldn't hide her surprise, he looked so…exhausted.

"Alright…" he sighed. "Alright… I need you to do something for me, puppet. I am aware that what I am about to ask probably sounds strange to you, scary even, but I can assure you that you have no reason to be afraid. No harm will come to you, I give you my word. Alright?"

She looked at him disbelievingly, his words made no sense to her. The intense look in his eyes scared her, she was afraid that he had really lost his mind now.

"I need to sleep," he said tensely and took a hold of Nadine's arm. "Do you understand, puppet? I need to sleep."

Quickly she nodded.

"Good," he sighed and touched her cheek. "Come with me."

He was leading her to his bed. Instinctively she tried to free herself, but he tightened his grip.

"Don't, puppet, please don't," he sighed. "I need to sleep. I am not going to hurt you."

She shivered when he lifted the cover and told her to lie down. No… He told her again, this time more tensely. She had no place to run; she had no choice but to do this. She clenched her fists at her side and forced herself to settle onto her back.

"It's alright, don't be afraid," he muttered when he lied down beside her.

Her heart was beating like a drum; she closed her eyes when he touched her hair.

"I am not going to hurt you," he repeated. "I am not, but I can't take this anymore, I need to sleep. I am going to put my arms around you now, alright? I won't do anything else, I swear."

Her whole body tensed when he rolled her on her side and wrapped his arms around her, drawing her as close to him as possible. Her face was against his bare chest, she had never been in this kind of situation. Tears were burning behind her eyes; she waited for his hands to start groping her. That didn't happen, he only leaned his cheek on the top of her head.

"This doesn't feel unpleasant, does it?" he muttered. "I am not hurting you."

She was still breathing faster than normally, but for some reason, hearing his heartbeat calmed her down a little.

"It's alright, puppet," he muttered. "Try to relax and make yourself comfortable. I just need to…"

He didn't finish his sentence; she could tell that he had fallen asleep. Just when she had thought that she couldn't be any more confused… What was happening here?


	23. Chapter 23

**Part 23**

For the first time in days Tristan was in a deep sleep. There were no dreams, no compulsive need to have Nadine. No, because she was already here. It actually worked. All he needed was to have her beside him. After the dreams had started, he hadn't been able to really rest, except that one night after her "accident" when she had slept in his bed. Now she was in his bed again and he could finally rest. He would have most definitely slept until the morning if something wouldn't have woken him up. The sound of sobbing. Slowly he opened his eyes and felt Nadine's body twitching. She was crying, he felt her tears on his chest.

"Puppet?" he murmured sleepily. "What is wrong?"

His first thought was that he had held her too tight, but after few seconds he realized that she wasn't awake, she was having a nightmare.

"Hey…" he muttered and touched her hair. "It's alright, puppet."

She whimpered heartbreakingly, just like the last time when she had slept in his bed. He really didn't want to see her like this.

"It's alright…"

He was certainly out of his comfort zone, but just like the last time, he tried his best to calm her down by stroking her hair and rubbing her back. Her body felt so fragile against his, he felt a very strange need to keep her safe. No one would ever hurt his puppet again and the bastard who had dared to hurt her would pay for it. Was she having a nightmare about the Lord Niklaus? Probably. The thought infuriated Tristan, what kind of a man would so brutally attack a delicate little creature like her?

"It's alright," he whispered in her ear and touched her cheek softly with his lips. "You don't have to worry about anything, puppet, I will look after you."

Finally she calmed down, her body started to relax against his. When he looked at her, his precious little puppet, it was very clear to him that this was exactly what he wanted. He wanted her to be his. Not by force, by choice. He wanted her consent. Not that he would have taken her against her will anyway, he wouldn't have done that. It made no difference that she was a servant, he still wanted her consent. Everything was suddenly very clear to him and his mind had already formed a plan. There were plenty of arrangements he needed to make.

First of all, he wanted to do this properly, so he needed to have a word with her brother the first thing in the morning. A servant or not, but it was a decent thing to do since her brother was her closest male relative. Of course it would only be a formality; Tristan didn't think for a second that her brother would have any problem with the very generous offer he was going to make him. It would secure Nadine's future and her brother's as well. Gently he caressed her soft cheek and kissed her forehead before making himself comfortable. Her body fit so perfectly against his, like she would have been made for him. It was strange, but he had never before felt anything like this. He actually was in love with his puppet.

* * *

Lucien had barely slept at all when the morning finally came. Nadine hadn't returned, she had been with Tristan the whole night. She had been through who knew what kind of hell and her brother had done nothing. It was very clear that Nadine had lied to him yesterday, the rumors were true. Except that Lucien didn't think for a second that Nadine would have ever willingly given her body to Tristan. He had no doubt forced her like she would be some worthless object.

Why would taking a servant's innocence mean anything to Tristan? Who knew how long this had been going on, how long poor Nadine had suffered silently. Lucien was completely numb when he got up and got dressed. What was he supposed to do? What could he do? He was nothing but weak and pathetic. His legs carried him automatically towards the smaller courtyard. He had no idea how long he had stood in front of the well when someone approached him.

"Good morning," Finn's voice said.

"Good morning, my lord," Lucien heard himself mumbling, he didn't turn to look at Finn.

"I was hoping to have a word with you…"

"Not a good time, my lord."

Lucien couldn't bring himself to care if he sounded rude, he could barely keep himself from falling apart. Finn was quiet for a moment before moving next to Lucien.

"Forgive me… I do not wish to intrude, but may I ask is everything alright?"

Lucien burst into joyless laughter.

"Not really, my lord."

"I see. Is there anything I can do to help?"

Lucien felt beyond exhausted, he had no strength left. How could anyone ever fix the damage Tristan had done to Nadine?

"Nadine…" he murmured.

Finn's eyebrows furrowed.

"What? Has something happened to her?"

Lucien sighed tiredly.

"I…"

"Good morning, my lord," Laurent's voice suddenly said. "Lucien, Lord Tristan wants to see you in the garden. Now."

Lucien felt like his blood would have suddenly turned into ice. After all that bastard had done, he wanted, what, had a nice conversation with Lucien? Well, that wasn't going to happen. No, Lucien would do what he should have done a long time ago. He would kill the man who had violated his poor innocent sister. It didn't matter what would happen to Lucien after that, he was done being a coward.

"Of course," he stated and glanced at Finn. "Please excuse me, my lord."

Determinedly he marched to the garden, ready to do what needed to be done. He was unable to think clearly, his anger had taken over. Tristan was nothing but a monster, he deserved to die. Lucien stayed out of sight when he approached the garden and spotted Tristan talking to someone. Niklaus. He was looking at Tristan tensely.

"I am afraid I have no idea what you are talking about…"

"Oh, I think you do," Tristan replied. "I am sure it took you a lot of…courage to demonstrate your strength to someone half of your size."

"What?"

Tristan's eyes darkened.

"I saw her injuries with my own eyes. She still hasn't recovered."

Niklaus lowered his head, he looked guilty.

"Lord Tristan, I…"

"Perhaps you have gotten used to treat women like that, but you will never lay a hand on Nadine again. Am I making myself clear?"

Niklaus nodded tensely. Lucien couldn't believe what he was hearing. Had Niklaus hurt Nadine? After everything he had done for him and his family… Lucien couldn't move until Niklaus had left. Tristan heard him approaching and turned to look at him.

"Good, you are here," he stated.

"My lord," Lucien murmured.

He didn't bow, but Tristan didn't seem to even notice that. He looked…strange.

"I asked you here because I want to talk to you. Man to man."

Lucien's eyes widened, he couldn't help it.

"Pardon, my lord?"

Tristan waved his hand.

"We can forget the formalities; I shall get straight to the point. What I want is very simple." He paused and crossed his arms. "I want your sister's hand in marriage."


	24. Chapter 24

**Part 24**

Lucien's mouth floundered open and closed, he stared at Tristan disbelievingly.

"What?" he finally managed to say.

Tristan frowned, normally he would have never tolerated such insolent behavior from anyone, but in this case he was willing to make an exception. Only because Lucien was Nadine's brother.

"My lord…" Lucien murmured. "I…I am afraid I misheard you…"

"You didn't," Tristan cut in. "I want your sister's hand in marriage."

Lucien's eyes widened, he stared at Tristan with his mouth open.

"Why… I mean, she is a servant, my lord…"

"Yes, I am aware of that," Tristan replied calmly. "There is no need for you to worry about details, I will handle everything. First of all, I will arrange you a noble rank, some land and wealth. Then you will officially give up your ownership to your sister as her closest male relative and give her to me…"

"No."

Tristan's eyebrows furrowed.

"Excuse me?"

Lucien swallowed.

"I…" He paused and looked at Tristan in the eye, although he was clearly nervous, his hands were shaking. "Punish me if you wish, my lord, but I must say this. My sister is not an object; she is a sweet young woman who deserves to be treated respectfully. I know that you are her master and you have every right to do whatever you wish with her, but she is my sister, my family. As…as you yourself said, my lord, what kind of a brother wouldn't do anything to protect his sister."

Tristan kept his face free from emotion, but he had to admit that he was impressed by Lucien's obvious affection for Nadine. Of course Lucien knew that he could lose his tongue or even his head because of his words.

"You do understand I just offered you a noble rank?" Tristan stated.

Lucien nodded tensely.

"Yes, my lord, but…why?"

"Why do I wish to wed your sister?"

Normally Tristan wouldn't have explained himself to anyone and no one would have dared to question him, but again, he was willing to make an exception. After all, this man would be his brother-in-law. The thought was quite strange considering that Lucien was a servant; obviously he needed the noble rank first. The whole thing was nothing but strange, Tristan hadn't even considered marriage before last night. Arranging this required a lot of work and it would have been much easier to make Nadine his mistress, but that simply wasn't enough. He wanted her to be completely his. His wife and the mother of his heir. He was determined to make that happen and he always got what he wanted.

"Well… I wish to wed your sister because I want her. I will take a good care of her, no need to worry about that, she will have everything she wants."

Lucien was quiet for a brief moment before replying.

"Has my lord asked for her opinion?"

"Not yet. I wanted to do this properly, so I talked to you first. Have we reached an understanding?"

"My lord… I cannot make my sister's decisions for her; I have no right to do that. I am her closest male relative, but Nadine is very much her own person, I would be a fool to think that I can simply…order her to do anything."

Tristan couldn't deny that he was amused, he had seen a glimpse of the fire his puppet had in her. He had no problem with that, he was curious to see more. Surely that would happen after she would get to know him and learn how to be more comfortable around him. It didn't matter that he would have to teach her many things about being a noblewoman; there would be no need for any kind of formality when they would be alone.

"I see. Well, no need to worry; I shall talk to her today." He paused and glanced at the dark circles under Lucien's eyes. "Go and get some rest, you no longer have to work. After all, you will be a nobleman soon."

Lucien didn't reply to that, he seemed to be too confused to speak. Tristan was pleased with their conversation; he felt that they had understood each other. Now he needed to have a word with his father. It was early, so Count de Martel was still in his bedchamber, but of course he agreed to see his son. Again Tristan went straight to the point right after sending his father's servant away. Count de Martel's eyes widened when Tristan calmly explained his intentions.

"What? A servant? Have you lost your mind?!"

"No, I have not," Tristan replied. "I want her."

"Fine, just take her then!" Count de Martel snapped. "She is your property, use her however you like!"

"No, I want more than just her body."

Count de Martel sighed and stood up.

"Alright… Alright, my son, I understand, I have bedded some…inferior women myself. I admit that they can be a nice change for every now and then and they are certainly eager to please. Just give this girl an official position as your mistress."

Tristan looked at his father calmly and shook his head.

"I want to wed her."

"That is ridiculous, she is a servant…"

"It has been done before," Tristan cut in. "Or was grandmother not brought to grandfather as a spoil of war? She was a slave…"

"She was noble blood," Count de Martel snapped. "Her father was no peasant."

"Neither was Nadine's."

Count de Martel's eyes narrowed.

"No, he was a traitor. That is even worse than a peasant!"

"Minor details," Tristan replied. "We both know this can be done. Her brother needs some proper "distant relative" who has left him a noble rank and some land. That way his sister will be high-ranking enough to become my wife."

"Tristan," Count de Martel stated tensely. "There are much more suitable women…"

"Yes, I am aware of that, but I want her and I will have her, father."

Count de Martel sighed, he knew his son well enough to know that he wasn't going to change his mind.

"People will talk…"

"They can try, but I doubt that anyone dares to continue for long. I will personally make an example of some of them if I have to. You know I can do that, father."

Count de Martel was quiet for a while before speaking.

"This girl… She is very thin and her pelvis seems narrow; can she bare your children?"

"She can, she simply needs to be nourished properly. I will take care of that."

Count de Martel sighed and shook his head.

"I must say that I cannot understand you, son. What is it about this girl?"

Tristan didn't really have an answer to that; all he knew was that he wanted her.

"Will you give her brother the noble rank?"

"Are you absolutely sure about this…"

"Yes. This is what I want, father."

"Fine then," Count de Martel sighed. "I will arrange it, but I expect her to give you a son soon after the wedding. And I want you to arrange someone to train her, make sure she knows how to behave in public."

Tristan nodded.

"I will."

"Good. Oh well, at least she does not speak, I suppose I can see the perks in that. Most women just can't keep their mouth shut."

Tristan didn't comment on that, he simply thanked his father and left. There was still the matter of asking for Nadine's consent. Of course she would agree, she would be crazy not to. She was still asleep when he returned to his chamber; apparently she hadn't slept well last night. Her eyes opened when he closed the door.

"Good morning," he stated and walked over to the bed.

She got quickly into a sitting position.

"You will have breakfast soon, puppet, but first there is something we need to talk about."

She looked at him cautiously when he sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Alright… I understand I have perhaps confused you lately, but the truth is that I have discovered certain…feelings I have for you. I love you, puppet, and I want you to be mine. I want to wed you."

Her eyes widened in shock, she looked stunned to say the least.

"I already talked to your brother and my father. Your brother will have a noble rank and some land, he will never have to work again. Neither will you, I will give you everything you want and treat you like a little jewel you are. All you have to do is give me your consent. Will you give it to me, puppet?"


	25. Chapter 25

**Part 25**

Nadine had never been more confused in her life. What was going on here? Had Tristan de Martel actually said that he wanted to wed her? It was definitely official now; he had really lost his mind. She was too shocked to react, but she could hear all the things he was saying about Lucien. Tristan would make Lucien a nobleman; give him land and a comfortable life. Lucien would never have to enslave again… Assuming Tristan actually meant what he said. Why on Earth did he want to marry a servant? Was that even possible? Why was he asking for her consent? He kept talking and talking, wanting to hear her answer. She couldn't give him one, she was like paralyzed.

"Puppet?"

She startled when he gently placed two fingers below her chin and lifted it until she met his pale blue eyes.

"I know this must be confusing to you," he stated. "To be honest, this is quite confusing to me too."

He paused and sighed.

"I want you, puppet, I really do. I know I haven't always treated you well, but that will all change. Tell me, will you accept me as your husband?"

The whole thing made absolutely no sense to Nadine, but she knew there really was only one answer she could give to him. Not that she thought there would ever be a wedding; surely he would come to his senses before that. Right now it was best to simply play along, so she nodded. His gaze became more piercing.

"Yes?"

She swallowed and nodded again. He was staring at her, slowly his lips curved into a smile.

"My puppet…" he muttered and leaned closer. His thumb caressed her cheek and bottom lip. "Will you grant me a kiss?"

It took a moment before her mind was able to comprehend his words. A kiss? He wanted to kiss her? She gasped when he reached up and cupped the back of her neck with one hand.

"It's alright, puppet," he muttered and gently tugged her closer. "All I am asking is a kiss. Have you ever been kissed?"

Quickly she shook her head, hoping that he couldn't tell she was lying. Her first and only kiss with Kol had been…confusing. At least she knew what to expect. His tongue forcing its way into her mouth. She wasn't looking forward to that, but she could take it. Assuming he would settle for that.

"Good," he stated, stroking his thumb along the side of her neck. "I want to know what you like."

He lowered his head and brushed his lips softly over hers. The kiss only lasted two seconds, so she didn't really have time to react to it.

"I want to find out what feels good to you," he whispered and touched the sensitive skin below her ear with his lips. The touch made her flinch, but she had to admit that it didn't feel unpleasant. Just…foreign. Her breathing sped up as he put his hand on her hip and pulled her even closer.

"You feel so good," he murmured absentmindedly and smelled her hair. "Tell me what you like, puppet."

She had no idea what to think when he captured her mouth with his own. Why would he care what she liked? She didn't know what she liked, but she hoped that he would keep his tongue to himself. When Kol had stuck his tongue into her mouth she had felt that she couldn't breathe. What was Tristan doing? His lips weren't really demanding, he was more like tasting her.

He shaped her lips with his, tilting his head this way and that, as though searching for the best angle. It didn't feel bad, although he touched her lips with the tip of his tongue. It kind of tickled and she relaxed a little when she saw that he didn't try to force his tongue into her mouth. The kiss wasn't rough, his lips felt surprisingly soft. What was wrong with her, this was Tristan, Count de Martel's son. She hated him. Yet an involuntary shiver raced up her spine and her heart started to pound faster. He was licking his lips when he finally pulled back.

"You taste amazing, puppet. Did you like that?"

Her face was bright red; she couldn't bring herself to look at him. Thankfully he didn't make her; he simply touched her cheek with his thumb.

"No need to worry, I understand this is all new to you. I will teach you everything you need to know and I am convinced that you will be happy with me."

* * *

5 days later

"Niklaus."

Klaus startled, he had been so lost in his thoughts that he hadn't noticed Finn. The sun had set a moment ago and he was on his way to the chapel to meet Aurora. He really wasn't sure what he was doing and the last thing he wanted was to take advantage of her. She was a sweet and beautiful girl, everything a man could want. Spending time with her had made him feel better, helped him to ease his guilt. They had kissed couple of times and of course he had liked it, but a part of him had still thought about Nadine. He hadn't seen her in days and he wasn't planning to see her. She would most definitely be better off without him.

"Yes?" Klaus asked and turned to look at his brother.

Finn seemed tense and gloomier than usual.

"Can I have a word with you?"

"Yes, sure. What is it?"

Finn crossed his arms.

"Did you speak with Lucien before he left?"

"No, I didn't," Klaus replied. "Why do you ask?"

Klaus had heard that Count de Martel had sent Lucien to run some errand couple of days ago, but he hadn't paid much attention to it.

"I am concerned about his sister," Finn stated.

"What? Why?"

Finn pressed his lips together.

"Lucien seemed very distressed the last time I saw him, but I didn't have a chance to speak with him before he left. I also haven't been able to see Nadine."

"Why not?" Klaus asked tensely.

"Because Lord Tristan does not allow anyone to see her. Apparently his mistress, Lady Giselle, is beyond furious and she has spread some very vulgar rumors about Nadine."

Klaus was unable to speak; how was it possible he hadn't heard about any of this? Well, the answer was simple; he had been too busy feeling sorry for himself to pay attention to anything else.

"Why have you not done anything?" he muttered.

"Like what?" Finn asked coolly. "Kill the guards and march into Lord Tristan's chamber?"

Klaus clenched his fists.

"He is keeping her there?"

"Yes, as far as I know."

Klaus had certainly heard more than enough. He headed to Tristan's chamber without saying a word to his brother. There were four guards standing in front of the door. Obviously Klaus could have got rid of them, but that would have been a foolish thing to do. Instead he went outside. The night was starless and cloudy; he doubted that anyone could see him climbing up the wall. When he reached the window of Tristan's chamber, he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Nadine was sitting on the sofa wearing a white silk nightgown, she was eating grapes. Her feet were in Tristan's lap, he was massaging them.

"How were your lessons today, puppet?" he asked. "Useful?"

She nodded.

"Good. According to Raoul, you are an excellent student. You will be ready soon."

He lifted her leg and kissed her ankle.

"And your brother will be back tomorrow, I know you have missed him."

She looked up at him and nodded. Klaus couldn't believe his eyes when she crawled onto Tristan's lap and kissed his cheek. He smiled at her and caressed her lips with his thumb.

"I love you, puppet."

What… What the hell was going on?


	26. Chapter 26

**Part 26**

"Come, puppet," Tristan said. He pushed the covers aside and patted the spot on the bed next to him. "Time to get some rest, I can see you are tired."

Nadine wasn't really nervous when she climbed in the bed and settled beside him. She had gotten used to this, even his bare upper body. He hadn't been intrusive and he had assured to her that he wasn't going to claim her before their wedding night. He had said that he wanted her to get used to his touch before that, so she could enjoy herself as much as he was planning to enjoy himself. This whole thing was actually happening.

Count de Martel himself had come to see Nadine yesterday; clearly he hadn't been pleased with his son's decision. He had made it very clear that Nadine would never have any kind of power; her only purpose would be to please Tristan and bare his children. He had arranged Lucien a very high-ranking title and a large estate in the north. Everything would be final when Lucien would return tomorrow, he would move to his estate after the wedding.

The whole thing still felt unreal to Nadine, she couldn't believe this was actually happening. Tristan really wanted to wed her. A servant. According to him, no one knew yet, he would make the announcement tomorrow night at the celebration. Well, that would be interesting. The whole thing was nothing but insane. Marrying Tristan… Granted, he hadn't treated her badly, but she really couldn't understand what had caused this change in him. Love? Right, sure. He had just woken up one morning and realized that he was in love with a lowly servant.

Not that it really mattered, there was no turning back. Lucien deserved a chance for a happy life, even if Nadine wouldn't be able to be a part of that life. The thought made her heart ache, but surely she would adjust. She would actually be Lady de Martel… How unreal was that? She had hated Tristan and especially his father for so long. There was no chance she would ever stop hating Count de Martel, but she was determined to try her best to get along with Tristan. It would make her life much easier. She had never thought that he was able to feel anything, but it seemed that he actually tried to be kind to her. Every small sign of affection she willingly showed him seemed to please him greatly.

"Listen, puppet," he hummed when she leaned her head on his chest, just like he wanted her to do. "I would like to ask you something."

She raised her head and looked at him. He smiled and caressed her neck with his thumb.

"So beautiful…" he murmured and lowered his head, brushing his lips over the spot on her neck where his thumb had been touching. She didn't flinch, not even when he pressed his face against her neck and inhaled her scent. He often did that, he had said that he loved the scent of her skin. Finally he raised his head and looked into her eyes.

"I would like you to touch me," he stated. "Just a little," he added when he felt her body tense up. "Do you think you can do that?"

She blinked nervously and tried to interpret what exactly he wanted her to do. He took her hand and kissed it calmingly.

"It's alright, I am not asking much." He paused and rolled over onto his back. "See, puppet, you are in control. Touch me anywhere, that's all I ask."

She hesitated for a moment, but he didn't rush her. No one had ever taught these things to her, the only knowledge she had was from the other servant girls. Lay still and don't fight. Unfortunately that didn't apply to this situation. She would have to learn all of this by herself anyway, she had no female relatives to advice her. Touching… That didn't sound too difficult. Cautiously her hand went to his shoulder; her fingers traced his muscle lines. He gasped, making her quickly to remove her hand. She had probably done something wrong…

"No, no," he murmured hoarsely. "Please continue."

She tried again; he bit his bottom lip and watched the insecure way her fingers ran down his chest.

"That's very good… Very good."

She couldn't quite understand what the purpose of this was, but he seemed satisfied, so she continued. His breathing quickened and his muscles tightened as her fingers traced a path up and down his upper body. She didn't know much anything about a male body and she couldn't help but to hope to have someone who could explain some basic things to her. Maybe Lucien… No, definitely not. She could just imagine how uncomfortable he would be. The thought almost made her smile. Unfortunately she had no one else. Soon she wouldn't have him either. No, she wasn't going to feel sorry for herself, Lucien deserved a better life. He would have a nice home and a chance to find a wife and start a family. Maybe he could visit her sometimes and she could visit him.

"Nadine…" Tristan groaned. "Do you think you could kiss me here?"

He was pointing at his stomach. Men seemed to like peculiar things, but why not. She leaned down and kissed his stomach. It made him flinch; he reached down and pulled her up to him. He stared at her intently before he cupped the back of her head and kissed her deeply. The kiss didn't feel unpleasant; he had kissed her several times before.

"Come here," he murmured and guided her head onto his chest. His hand massaged her back soothingly in circular motions.

"It's strange," he hummed and touched the top of her head with his lips. "I have never wanted any woman like I want you, puppet. Nadine. My beautiful Nadine. Tomorrow everyone will know."

The thought made her nervous, she couldn't deny that. She didn't think for a second that the lords and ladies would ever see her as their equal, but they would be forced to be polite to her. That gave her some wicked joy. The other servants who had been in Tristan's chamber when Nadine had been here had certainly been polite to her, although they no doubt saw her as nothing more than Tristan's whore. They could think whatever they wanted; it made no difference to Nadine. She didn't care what anyone thought.

For some reason Niklaus crossed her mind. She hadn't seen him in days, but that didn't matter, he had made it very clear that she meant absolutely nothing to him. For a moment she had thought that they could actually be friends, he had seemed like a nice person, but this was probably for the best. She could have never imagined that things would turn out like this, but life certainly was unpredictable. Things could be much worse, she was certain that she would adjust. Maybe she would be able to help some other people after she would become Tristan's wife. Poor and hungry people. Women and children.

She sighed and allowed her body to relax. Her breath became slow and deep and soon she slipped into sleep. She had no idea how long she had slept when something yanked her from sleep. Someone grabbed her and a hand covered her mouth. She was too disoriented to fight and she couldn't see anything in darkness. Someone was carrying her to the window. The next thing she realized was the cool night air on her face. Then she was falling. She panicked and clung desperately to the person who was holding her.

"It's alright, darling," a soothing voice whispered in her ear. "Your knight is here."

She was shaking and her heart was beating like a drum, but she recognized the voice immediately. Kol.


	27. Chapter 27

**I'm sorry about the hiatus, I had some problems with this chapter. Sorry if it turned out bad.**

* * *

 **Part 27**

When Nadine got over her shock, her first reaction was simple. She bit Kol's hand as hard as she could.

"Hey!" he protested, but he didn't let her go. "I am trying to help you."

She ignored his words and struggled with all her might when he carried her towards the garden. She needed to get back to Tristan's chamber, if anyone would see her here with Kol…

"Stop that!" he snapped. "Didn't you hear what I just said; I am trying to help you."

She didn't stop struggling before he finally placed her on the ground.

"Alright, listen to me…" he started, but she ran before he could finish his sentence. This wasn't a game; Nadine wasn't going to let Kol to jeopardize Lucien's chance for a happy life. She wasn't just a worthless servant anymore, she was Tristan's betrothed and she couldn't afford something like this. If he would even suspect that she had been with some other man…

"Hey!" Kol snapped when he appeared in front of her and grabbed her wrists. "What is the matter with you?"

She kicked his leg and struggled to free her hands.

"Alright, this is ridiculous," he snorted. "Do you actually want to go back to Tristan?"

She glared at him and nodded. He stared at her disbelievingly.

"What? Why?"

She pressed her lips together and yanked her hands free. She pointed at herself and the castle.

"Now listen, darling, you don't have to pretend anything to me," Kol huffed. "We both know you don't want to be with Tristan and I am here to save you." He paused and smiled. "Just nod and all your problems will disappear, I give you my word."

She shook her head angrily and walked past him.

"Oh come on!" he snorted. "Are you really so stubborn that you will let Tristan to make you his little bed warmer? You don't want that!"

She ignored him and continued walking. The wind made her shiver; she was only wearing the nightgown.

"Fine!" Kol snapped. "Don't forget that I did try to help you!"

Sure, he was a real knight. What she couldn't understand was why he was suddenly so eager to "help" her. Not that it mattered. What she needed right now was to find a way to get back to Tristan's chamber without anyone noticing her. That was certainly easier said that done. She stopped and turned around in order to try to make Kol take her back, but he was gone. Of course he was. Nadine sighed and turned around. She almost jumped when someone was standing in front of her. Niklaus.

"Hello, Nadine," he stated tensely.

She was relieved to see him, he could help her. Quickly she tried to explain her problem to him; she pointed at herself, him, the castle and mimicked climbing. He didn't seem to care what she tried to say, he was staring at her.

"What are you doing with Tristan?" he asked, his tone of voice was accusative.

Her eyes widened, she couldn't understand why he was asking that. There was a strange look in his eyes when he grabbed her arms.

"Is he keeping you with him against your will?"

Cautiously she shook her head, she couldn't understand his behavior. First he ignored her than now he wanted her to explain herself to him? She frowned and angrily pushed him away, who did he think he was… The next thing she realized was him crashing his mouth down against hers. It stunned her so completely that she was unable to react. Quickly he pulled away, his mouth floundered open and closed.

"Nadine I…. I am sorry. It's just… When I saw you with Tristan… You shouldn't be with him. You should be with me."

She stared at him disbelievingly; her mind was unable to comprehend his words. He seemed distressed when he took her hands.

"Look, I know I don't deserve you, but neither does Tristan. Do you think you could ever…consider giving me a chance?"

She had no idea what to think, this was the last thing she had expected. She swallowed and tried to explain her situation to him, she needed to think about Lucien.

"You and… Tristan?" he guessed.

She nodded and placed her wrist next to Niklaus'. His eyes narrowed.

"Betrothed?"

She nodded.

"No," he said firmly. "I won't allow this."

She sighed, but she didn't have time to sign anything when he took her hands again.

"You are worried about your brother," he said. "I understand, but I can protect you both. I can take you far away from here. Please, Nadine… Come with me."

She was still very confused, but she could tell that he meant what he said. She had no idea how to reply. Apparently he interpreted her confusion as a rejection.

"You are something very special, Nadine," he murmured after a long silence. "As I said, I know that I don't deserve you. I am not a good person."

She looked at him and shook her head; she did consider him a good person. He sighed tiredly.

"No, I am not. I did something unforgivable after I became…what I am. I… I killed my mother."

Her eyes widened, he looked more than distressed when he bowed his head.

"Yes, I am a monster. I have never told that to anyone, I am not really sure why I just told you."

She should have indeed seen him as a monster, but for some reason she felt compassion. Carefully she touched his shoulder in a comforting gesture. He looked up.

"You are not repulsed by me?"

She shook her head. He was quiet for a moment and touched her cheek.

"Do you think you could consider my offer?"

She nodded. That didn't mean she would have been ready to just leave with him, but she would consider it. His lips curved into a smile and he wrapped his arms around her. Neither of them noticed that someone had heard every word he had just said. Elijah clenched his fists, he was furious. Niklaus had killed their mother. He would most certainly pay for that.

* * *

Somewhere in Northern Europe, 1 year later

Nadine bit her bottom lip and looked at her reflection in the mirror. She was nervous, she couldn't deny that. Well, tonight was her wedding night, it was normal to be nervous. Her beloved husband had been more than patient with her and she was worried that he would be disappointed with her. She knew that he had been with many women. Maybe she had also been with some man, she had no idea. She couldn't remember anything about her past. When her husband and his family had found her a year ago, she hadn't remembered anything except her name. She didn't know where she came from or if she had a family. At least she had a family now. A knock on the door made her to look up.

"Hi, Rebekah," she said smiling when the beautiful redhead entered the room.

"Hello," her new sister-in-law replied. "I just wanted to see if you need some help."

"I probably do," Nadine sighed. "I…"

"You are nervous?" Rebekah said gently and walked over to her.

Nadine nodded.

"Yes. He has waited for so long and I… I don't want to disappoint him."

"Oh, sweetie," Rebekah hummed and wrapped her arm around Nadine. "That could never happen. You know he adores you, he has ever since we found you."

Nadine blushed when she remembered all the times she had caught him staring at her with his pale blue eyes. At first his attention had made her nervous, but his persistent courting had eventually softened her. He was a good man and she was sure he would be a good husband.

"Alright," Rebekah said and kissed Nadine's cheek. "Let's get you ready."


	28. Chapter 28

**Warning, mature content.**

* * *

 **Part 28**

"Alright," Rebekah said thoughtfully. "Let's see…"

She took a step back and observed Nadine.

"Perfect."

"Thank you," Nadine murmured, she was blushing.

She was wearing a white nightgown, her hair was down and she had bathed in rosewater. She was as ready as she was ever going to be. Except…

"Rebekah? Can I ask… I mean… Have you…"

"Have I ever been with a man?" she guessed. "Yes, I have."

"Oh… Do you think… Could you maybe give me some…tips?"

"I can," a male voice announced from the door before Rebekah managed to reply.

"Get out, Nik," Rebekah snorted.

"Now, now, sister," Niklaus replied grinning. "Surely I want to congratulate our sweet Nadine."

His dark hair was messy and he had blood on his face, clearly he had continued to celebrate the wedding in the tavern after Nadine had left. He marched over to Nadine and wrapped his arms around her; she could immediately smell the alcohol.

"Welcome to the family, sweetheart," he hummed.

"Thank you…hey!" she snapped when she felt his hand squishing her bottom.

He chuckled and pulled away.

"Relax, love, it was just a friendly gesture. I am sure my brother doesn't mind."

"You want to bet?" Rebekah snorted. "He will most definitely give you a proper beating if you touch his wife like that."

Niklaus rolled his eyes.

"Oh, come on! Doesn't anyone have sense of humor around here?"

Nadine huffed and crossed her arms. Niklaus was obnoxious sometimes, but she liked him, he could be very sweet when he wanted to be. Most women were crazy about him and she could understand why, he was a very handsome man with his dark brown hair, dark eyes and muscular body. Nadine however has never had any romantic feelings for him. He had tried to kiss her once when he had been very drunk and angry at his brother, but Nadine had firmly turned him down. To her Niklaus was more like a brother; she couldn't imagine ever kissing him.

"Alright," he sighed. "Seriously speaking, congratulations, sweetheart." He paused and kissed her cheek. "My brother is a very lucky man."

"Thank you, Niklaus," Nadine replied smiling.

He smirked.

"Now, about those tips…"

"Get out," Rebekah and Nadine snorted simultaneously.

"Fine," he chuckled. "Your loss, I could have given you _a lot_ of useful tips."

Nadine sighed after Niklaus had left the room.

"It's alright," Rebekah said calmingly and touched her shoulder. "I am sure everything will go well. Elijah would never hurt you."

"I know," Nadine murmured. "Thank you, Rebekah. For everything."

The redhead smiled and hugged Nadine.

"You are welcome. I am happy to finally have a sister."

Nadine was happy about that too, she was very fond of Rebekah. They had become good friends during the year they had traveled together. Nadine knew that they would have to leave again soon; they couldn't stay in one place for too long. Mikael could find them. Hopefully not tonight though. Rebekah touched Nadine's shoulder and smiled before walking out.

Nadine looked around in the bedchamber, everything was ready. There was nice cozy fire in the fireplace, candles burning around the room and small flowers had been sprinkled over the floor. Now the only thing missing was her husband. The wedding had been quite modest, but she didn't care about that. They were together, that was all that mattered. She turned around when she heard the door opening. Elijah was standing in the doorway; his pale blue eyes were looking at her adoringly.

"Nadine… You look so beautiful."

"Thank you," she replied, trying to hide her nervousness.

Elijah entered the room and closed the door. They were both quiet for a moment.

"So…" Elijah finally said. "Here we are."

"Yes," she murmured. "I…"

He walked over to her and touched her cheek.

"It's alright, my sweet. I understand you are nervous, but I can assure you that you have no reason to be. I will be very gentle with you, I promise. You can trust me."

She looked up and smiled shyly.

"I do trust you, Elijah. I just… You have been very patient and I don't want to disappoint you…"

"You could never disappoint me," he cut in firmly and took both of her hands. "Nadine… I have loved you since the moment we met. You are the only woman for me and I can't tell how happy I am to have you as my wife."

She looked into his eyes and saw without a doubt that he meant every word. She couldn't believe how lucky she was to have a husband like him. He was a kind and noble man.

"Elijah… I am honored to be your wife. I love you and hopefully I can be worthy of you."

He smiled and gently touched her neck with his thumb. Her heart was pounding faster when he pulled her into his arms and took her mouth with his own. They had kissed before, few times very passionately, but this was different. Tonight they would be together in the most intimate way. As much as she enjoyed the taste of his lips, she couldn't help but wonder if this would be her first time. Elijah had assured her that it made no difference to him if she was a virgin or not, but she wasn't completely sure about that. She knew how territorial men could be. But could he hold her responsible for her past when she didn't remember anything about it and…

"Nadine," he murmured, his mouth was tenderly sucking her neck. "Stop thinking and relax, sweetheart."

She blushed, how had he known? He raised his head and smiled at her.

"I can tell when your mind is somewhere else," he said. "Is there something you want to talk about? Or do you have some questions for me?"

She shook her head.

"No, I… I would like to continue. If you do," she added quickly.

He looked more than amused.

"Yes, I believe I do. But I want you to tell me immediately if anything that I do feels unpleasant to you. Alright?"

She nodded.

"Alright."

He drew her into his embrace again and kissed her more hungrily than before. This time she didn't let her thoughts to distract her; she concentrated only to his lips. And tongue. He just loved to tease her with it. She gave his tongue an entrance into her mouth and shivered a little when he explored and tasted every part of her mouth. Her tongue responded eagerly, she loved the feeling of intimacy and connection she had found with him. Even the fact that she had to stand on her toes because he was much taller than her didn't stop her from enjoying herself. The kiss lasted for a long time before he finally pulled away. Neither of them spoke when she took a step back and shyly removed her nightgown. She was naked under it, a flush was rising in her cheeks when he stared at her, eyes dark with desire.

"You are so beautiful," he murmured. "So very beautiful…"

He kept his eyes on her when his hands quickly removed his belt and tunic.

"Do you wish me to lie down or do you prefer…" she started, but he was in front of her before she managed to finish her sentence.

"Allow me," he said and lifted her up.

She was nervous, but at the same time excited when he carried her to the bed. Very gently he laid her down on the center of the bed and stood next to it looking at her. She felt very vulnerable and exposed, but she trusted him. He wouldn't hurt her. Slowly he lied down beside her, his hand cupped her breast and started to massage it.

"I have never felt anything so soft," he murmured.

She bit her bottom lip when her nipple hardened under his touch. He had sometimes caressed her breasts through her clothes, but this wasn't anything like that. Carefully his fingers pinched the sensitive tip of her nipple, she closed her eyes and gasped when she suddenly felt his mouth sucking her other breast. The new sensation made her moan; she had never felt anything like it.

He took his time, switching from one breast to the other and back. Her heart was pounding and she was breathing rapidly until she suddenly cried out. She had been too occupied to notice his hand sliding down her side towards her hip. His fingers had pushed her legs apart and he was touching her most private part. It felt very strange, but not unpleasant. Definitely not. He paused for a brief moment, observing her response to his touch. Her soft moan of approval encouraged him to proceed.

"Elijah," she moaned when his mouth continued sucking and nipping her breasts and his fingers rubbed the special spot between her legs, sending shudders of pleasure through her body. Her heart was pounding so fast that she felt it could have broken her chest; the feeling was unlike anything she had experienced before. Loud moans were leaving her throat; her husband raised his head when her whole body started to tremble.

"Look at me, my sweet," he ordered softly; his fingers were still moving between her legs.

She couldn't control her body anymore and she felt the need to close her eyes, but she obeyed him.

"Elijah…"

"It's alright, just let go. I got you."

She cried out when something happened, some kind of huge wave of pleasure flushed over her body. She was shaking; his fingers were moving more slowly and gently. The feelings was… She didn't know how to describe it. He looked shocked when she let out an involuntary sob.

"Did I hurt you, Nadine?" he asked quickly.

She shook her head, ashamed by her ridiculous reaction.

"I'm sorry," she murmured. "I don't know why…"

He smiled gave her a gentle kiss.

"It's alright. Do you need a moment?"

She shook her head.

"I would like to continue."

"If you are sure…"

"I am."

He leaned down to kiss her forehead before standing up. She looked at him curiously when he started to remove his pants. The familiar flush was once again rising in her cheeks. She had never seen a naked man before.

"May I touch you?" she asked without thinking.

He seemed surprised, but definitely not unpleasantly.

"Of course, my sweet."

He returned to the bed and settled onto his back. She really wasn't sure what she was doing, she could see how aroused he was. Insecurely she touched his manhood, hoping that she could make him feel good. Apparently she could, he groaned and almost pleaded her to continue. She did until he couldn't take it anymore. He rolled her onto her back and crawled on top of her.

"Are you ready?" he asked hoarsely.

She nodded.

"Yes, Elijah."

He looked into her eyes and kissed her calmingly when he entered her. The sudden pain made her gasp. Her maidenhead. There was definitely some kind of primal satisfaction in his eyes. He was glad to be her first and the look in his eyes told her that he was also planning to be her last.


	29. Author's note

**Author's note**

Okay, many of you were confused about the last chapter, I'm sorry about that, I didn't realize that everyone haven't seen season 3 yet :) I'm going to try my best to explain, spoiler alert if you haven't seen season 3. I used TO storyline, Elijah compelling Tristan, Lucien and Aurora to think that they are Elijah, Klaus and Rebekah in order to make Mikael chase them instead of the real Mikaelsons. The compulsion lasted until Elijah was daggered in Italy 1114 by the Brotherhood of the Five. Elijah wanted to make Klaus pay for killing Esther, so in this story he used Nadine instead of Aurora. He made her to reject Klaus and took her memories. He's not going to be proud of that part afterwards; he was blinded by his rage.

The man who Nadine married is Tristan; he is compelled to think that he's Elijah. Lucien was trying to hit on Nadine because he thinks that he's Klaus, he doesn't know that Nadine is his sister. Obviously he's not going to be happy about that when the compulsion wears off :)

Tristan's feelings (obsession) for Nadine were very strong when he was a human (partly because of Kol's involvement) and they multiplied when he became a vampire, so even though he didn't remember Nadine, the feelings were still there. Without their history, Nadine also started to have some feelings for him when they traveled together. To her he's Elijah, a kind and gentle man whose family took her in and looked after her. And yes, she knows they are vampires. She on the other hand is still human at this point.

Nadine lost her voice because she experienced a terrible trauma and she was able to speak again after losing her memories. I hope that made some sense, please ask more if it didn't :)

Also, I originally meant to end this story when the compulsion wears off and the four of them remember who they really are. I would like to ask is that a good ending or would you like me to continue to the present day?


	30. Chapter 30

**Thank you for all the feedback. I was planning to write flashback scenes about what happened, but since so many people were confused I thought it would be easier to explain it. Warning, there's some mature content in this chapter.**

* * *

 **Part 29**

Valencia, 1114

Nadine couldn't see anything or move her hands. Normally something like that would have made her panic, but this was different. Yet she couldn't deny that she was a little nervous, even though she trusted her husband. Of course she trusted him; she wouldn't have let anyone else to chain her up in bed. This was his fantasy and she wanted him to be happy. She didn't usually mind fulfilling his fantasies and he had never pressured her into anything. If she didn't want to do something, he respected that.

He had never been a selfish lover, he always made sure that she was comfortable and what they did was pleasurable for her. They had been married for over a century now, she couldn't imagine ever being with any other man. She loved Elijah with all her heart and she was willing to try new things for him. They had certainly tried many new things after she had become like him. Rebekah had sometimes said how envious she was; she hoped that someone would look at her like Elijah looked at Nadine. Like she would be the only woman in the world.

Niklaus on the other hand had often teased Elijah for settling for just one woman. According to Rebekah, Niklaus was envious too deep down. Nadine wasn't sure if she believed that, Niklaus seemed pleased with his many, many conquests. That made Nadine to appreciate Elijah even more. He had always been a doting husband and a reliable companion. She would have trusted her life in his hands without hesitation. Right now she trusted her body in his hands by allowing him to use chains she couldn't have broken even if she would have wanted to.

She hadn't been this defenseless after becoming like him and it made her a little nervous, but she couldn't deny that it also turned her on. Lying on the bed chained and blindfolded… She startled when someone suddenly took a hold of her bare ankles. She was wearing a white silk gown and her dark hair was spread out across the pillow, spilling down her shoulder and across her neck. Elijah loved it when she kept her hair down.

Nadine bit her bottom lip when he slowly ran his hands upward over her knees and thighs, pulling the hem of her gown up. She wasn't wearing knickers. His hands stopped moving when he spread her legs and saw that she was aroused. He didn't say anything, but she could practically feel him smirking when he moved his hands down again. He took one of her feet in his hand and sucked her toes. It seemed that he was planning to take his time. His thumbs caressed her calf and his mouth moved to her ankle. She gasped when he ran his tongue over the sculpture of her knee.

"Elijah… Oh God!"

Suddenly, without any kind of warning, his head was between her legs. His hands kept her hips in place when his tongue started to torture her. She arched her back and desperately pulled the chains, but he hadn't been kidding when he had said that she wouldn't be able to free herself.

"Save your strength, my sweet," he hummed, the sound of his voice vibrating over her. "You are not going anywhere."

It wasn't difficult to hear how much he was enjoying this, she moaned loudly and kept pulling the chains as his tongue explored her thoroughly. He had often said that she was the sweetest thing he had ever tasted. Sweeter than blood. He knew everything about her body; he had made it his mission to learn every little detail. Every special spot and just the right way to touch them. He could make her climax very quickly when he wanted to, but now he didn't.

He continued the sweet torture until he made her beg for release. She was so disoriented that she didn't even notice him ripping her gown off. The next thing she realized was him slamming into her. She was still sensitive after her climax, but she didn't mind his roughness. She did enjoy it sometimes, even though what she loved the most was tenderness, as boring as that was.

What she enjoyed the most was looking into her husband's beautiful blue eyes, feeling his gentle kisses and hearing him whispering adoring words in her ear while he was making love to her. She also enjoyed cuddling after sex and he have never had a problem with that. Nothing made her feel safer than falling asleep in his embrace.

"Elijah," she moaned. "I want to see you."

She blinked few times when he removed the blindfold. He was groaning in pleasure while thrusting into her again and again.

"My beautiful Nadine…"

She cried out his name when he hit one of her special spots, she was feeling… Then it happened. Her mind was suddenly full of images. Memories. Her mother. Her father. Her little brothers. Lucien. Her home. The death of her family. Count de Martel. Tristan. The shock paralyzed her. She was having sex with Tristan. He looked shocked as well, they stared at each other before either of them managed to react.

"Get off me," she heard herself saying, her voice sounded foreign. "Get off me!"

He obeyed, but she couldn't get up, she was still chained. She started to pull the chains in panic.

"Let me go, let me go, let me go!"

"Nadine, Nadine, stop, you are hurting yourself…" Tristan started, but that made no difference. She didn't care that her wrists were bleeding; she was screaming and struggling hysterically.

"Sweetheart, please stop…"

"Let me go!"

"Alright, alright, hold on."

She didn't stop struggling, even though that made it more difficult for him to unchain her.

"Don't touch me!" she shouted when he tried to touch her hair in a calming gesture.

She couldn't think clearly, she was completely hysterical. The humiliation was so horrible that she wanted to die. Why, why? She couldn't understand. As soon as he freed her, she was on her feet, zooming out.

"Nadine!"

"Lucien!" she shouted at the top of her lungs, she didn't care that she was naked. "Lucien!"

She couldn't remember that he had gone out earlier; desperately she searched the whole villa where they were staying at the moment. Aurora was sitting in the parlor, silently staring in front of her, but Nadine barely noticed her.

"Lucien!"

She started to shake when her brother was suddenly standing in front of her; he had blood on his face.

"Nadine…"

She let out a loud sob and pounced on him, wrapping her arms tightly around him.

"Don't let go," she sobbed. "Don't let go, don't let go…"

"I won't," he assured and tried his best to comfort her. "It's alright, sister."

She buried her face in his shoulder and cried. Not that it helped, but she still couldn't stop. There weren't enough tears in the world to fix the damage in her. She was completely broken.


	31. Chapter 31

**Thank you for all the feedback. Nadine didn't marry Elijah, it was Tristan the whole time. He was compelled to think that he is Elijah. They got their memories back when Elijah was daggered in Italy. Please ask if you have any questions.**

* * *

 **Part 30**

Lucien was completely numb when he held his sobbing sister. His sobbing naked sister. A sister who he had groped more than once. A sister who he had tried to kiss. A sister who he had wanted to… No, he really couldn't finish that thought. He felt sick to his stomach. This whole thing was nothing but foul. He would have actually bedded his own baby sister if she wouldn't have turned him down. More than once. Dear Lord… He felt the need to throw up.

"Nadine?" Tristan's cautious voice said.

Lucien's eyes darkened and he tightened his embrace. Tristan was standing in front of them, he was only wearing pants and he had a blanket with him.

"Stay away from her!" Lucien snarled furiously.

"She is naked," Tristan replied tensely.

"I can see that!" Lucien shouted. "Get out!"

Tristan pressed his lips together and handed Lucien the blanket.

"Here. Put this around her. Please."

Lucien forced himself to take the blanket and calm down enough to use a much kinder tone when he spoke again.

"Nadine? May I put a blanket around you?"

She didn't say anything, she was still crying.

"Sister? It's alright, I will just…"

"No!" she cried out and desperately clung to him when he tried to pull away. "Don't… Don't let go."

"I won't, I won't," he assured as calmingly as he could. "I will just put this blanket around you, alright? Will you let me do that?"

She didn't say anything, but she didn't fight either when he wrapped the blanket around her. Lucien was too occupied to notice Aurora who had just entered the room. Tristan zoomed over to her and hugged her tightly.

"Sister…"

Nadine was shaking in Lucien's arms; he sat down on the floor and leaned his back against the wall. Gently he guided Nadine with him and tucked her head into his shoulder. She still hadn't stopped crying, he felt her tears soak through his shirt. He couldn't imagine what she was feeling right now. Her past and her whole life had been taken from her; she had been completely helpless and vulnerable. An easy prey for Tristan. Just the thought made Lucien furious. He had sacrificed his life to save Nadine from Tristan and it had all been for nothing.

Selling his sister for a noble rank… No, he hadn't done that. He had tried to kill Tristan and died when the guards had stopped him. Fortunately Lucien had run into Niklaus before that and attacked him for hurting Nadine. When Niklaus had dared to say that it had been an accident, he hadn't meant to hurt Nadine, Lucien had completely lost it and stabbed Niklaus. Things hadn't ended well, Niklaus had accidently cut Lucien with that same knife while trying to calm him down. The wound had healed immediately, thanks to Niklaus' blood on the knife.

Lucien had thought that he had become like Niklaus and attacked Tristan. Sadly Lucien hadn't known that he needed to die before he would actually become like Niklaus. He looked up and saw that Tristan and Aurora were also sitting on the floor, he was holding her. There was no expression on Aurora's face when Lucien met her gaze. What had happened to her was even more brutal than what had happened to Lucien. Niklaus had cruelly toyed with her feelings, made her fall in love with him and then abandoned her. She had cut her wrists and would have bled to death if Rebekah wouldn't have found her.

Lucien had loved Aurora with all his heart and Niklaus had treated her like she would be worthless. How Tristan had become like them, that part Lucien didn't know. All he remembered was Elijah's compulsion. He hadn't been Lucien anymore, he had been Niklaus. Tristan had been his brother, Aurora had been his sister and Nadine… She had been a pretty little human who he had wanted to toy with. He remembered exactly how he had admired her body. The thought really made him sick.

The worst part was that he had been with her the whole time, unable to protect her. He had let Tristan wed her and use her for one hundred years. Granted, he did owe Tristan for turning her, but that didn't change anything. Besides, Tristan had only turned her because he hadn't wanted to lose his little toy. Lucien, or Niklaus, had used to tease Tristan about that.

All the "brotherly" moments they had shared felt nothing but grotesque now. Lucien had no idea how long the four of them had been sitting on the floor when he noticed that Nadine had stopped crying. She didn't move or make a sound. Tristan had kept looking at her, but Lucien didn't pay any attention to him. The only way Tristan would ever touch Nadine again would be over Lucien's dead body.

"They did this to us," Aurora's voice said after a very long silence. "I think they deserve to pay."

"I most definitely agree," Lucien replied and touched Nadine's hair. "And they will pay."

Aurora nodded approvingly and looked at Tristan.

"What say you, brother? Are you with us?"

"Yes," Tristan murmured, he was looking at Nadine.

"Good. Nadine?"

She didn't say anything; her head was still leaning on Lucien's shoulder.

"Nadine?" Aurora repeated. "Are you with us?"

There was no answer.

"I do not think she can…" Lucien started, but Aurora had already zoomed in front of them. She grabbed Nadine and yanked her to her feet.

"Hey!" Lucien protested when Aurora slapped Nadine.

"Pull yourself together," Aurora ordered firmly.

Nadine blinked few times and looked at Aurora.

"Thank you," Nadine muttered, her voice held no emotion.

"No problem," Aurora replied. "So, are you with us?"

"Yes, I am."

Aurora tapped her shoulder and took a step back.

"Alright. I say the four of us will make a pact, right here, right now. The four of us against the family who took everything from us. We do not have to like each other or even tolerate each other, but for now on, we shall watch each other's backs, no matter what." Aurora paused and giggled. "We shall become even worse travesty of a family than what they made us."

"That is not going to happen," Lucien snapped and glared at Tristan. "I will never…"

"What did I just say?" Aurora cut in. "We do not have to like each other, that makes no difference."

Lucien crossed his arms and glanced at Nadine. Her face was completely blank.

"Nadine…" Tristan started.

"Do not talk to her," Lucien snapped.

"She is my wife," Tristan replied tensely.

"No, she is not; she was "Elijah's" wife. Not yours. I will kill you if you ever try to touch her again."

Tristan's eyebrows furrowed.

"That is almost amusing coming from you. If I recall, you were the one who harassed her after couple of steins."

Lucien growled and attacked Tristan; no more than a second later they were wrestling on the floor.

"I will kill you!"

Aurora giggled and wrapped her arm around Nadine who was frozen like a statue.

"Should we do something?" Nadine murmured absentmindedly.

"No, I think they need to settle things. See, we are just like a real family already."


	32. Chapter 32

**Part 31**

 _France, 1002_

 _Klaus clenched his fists and tried his best to look calm. He didn't like this at all. The whole court was present in the throne room; Count de Martel had an announcement to make. Unfortunately Klaus knew exactly what that announcement was. Tristan was sitting beside his father, his face was callous, but Klaus could tell how satisfied he was. Of course he was, he thought that he was going to have Nadine. He certainly didn't deserve her. Klaus had confessed his feelings for her last night and asked her to come with him, but of course that couldn't happen right away._

 _Klaus had been forced to take her back to Tristan's chamber. Watching her lie down beside him had filled Klaus with nasty jealously. It had also made him more than sure of his own feelings. He wanted her to be his. He wanted to protect her and take her far away from this place. The thought made him smile. He looked up and met Aurora's gaze, she was smiling at him across the room. The guilt hit him immediately. He should have never used her as some kind of distraction after he had thought that he had ruined everything with Nadine._

 _Aurora was a sweet and innocent girl, she deserved so much better. Klaus was truly disgusted with himself for toying with her feelings like that. Maybe he hadn't meant to toy with her, but he nevertheless had. He had kissed her and encouraged her obvious infatuation to him. That had been nothing but a cruel and selfish thing to do. He needed to try his best to fix the damage he had done before he would leave._

 _"What is all this about?" Kol snorted carelessly, he was standing next to Klaus. Finn was standing few steps away from them and Elijah with Rebekah. Klaus didn't notice his ice-cold glare._

 _"I think…" Klaus started, but Count de Martel stood up before he managed to continue. The whole room was immediately quiet._

 _"I have some very exciting news!" he announced and glanced at Tristan who stood up as well. "My son has found himself a bride!"_

 _Almost everyone in the room looked stunned, especially the Lady Giselle. She stared at Tristan disbelievingly._

 _"As you all know, Lord de Leclair recently passed away without an heir," Count de Martel continued."But now I am pleased to announce that his heir has been discovered."_

 _Everyone looked at the doors when a servant entered and bowed._

 _"May I preset the Lord Lucien de Leclair and his sister, the Lady Nadine de Leclair."_

 _Many people gasped when Lucien appeared in the doorway arm in arm with Nadine. They both looked like royalties, although Lucien was clearly nervous. Nadine was wearing a beautiful creamy gown and her hair was up in a stylish coiffure. She looked absolutely stunning. Lady Giselle's face was quickly turning red, she looked like she was about to faint._

 _"What…" Kol murmured, but Klaus barely heard him, he was staring at Nadine._

 _Unlike Lucien, she didn't look nervous; she seemed to be very calm. Everyone was staring at them when they walked across the room side by side and bowed in front of the throne._

 _"Your Grace," Lucien murmured._

 _Tristan walked over to Nadine and kissed her hand. Lucien seemed reluctant to let go of his sister, but he didn't have a choice, Tristan took her hand and led her next to the throne with him._

 _"My bride, the lovely Lady Nadine de Leclair!"_

 _The lords and ladies who had managed to get over their surprise started to quickly congratulate him and compliment his bride. Nadine stood next to Tristan obediently; he wrapped his arm possessively around her small frame. Kol was looking at them very strangely, but Klaus didn't notice that. He did however notice how Finn was looking at Nadine. The realization didn't please Klaus at all, although he couldn't really blame his brother. As long as Finn would understand that he couldn't have Nadine. She belonged to Klaus._

* * *

Italy, 1114

Klaus looked at Finn's daggered body carelessly before closing the coffin. Good riddance. He had no intention to pull the dagger out any time soon. Perhaps not at all. His other siblings thought that it was because he didn't trust Finn. Well, he didn't, but he also had another reason. A reason he would never share with anyone. It didn't matter, not anymore. He had lost her. She had actually chosen Tristan over him. The man who had humiliated her and treated her like a slave. To her even a man like that had been better than Klaus.

It didn't matter. She didn't matter. He didn't need her or anyone else. In fact, if she would be here right now, he would rip her heart out. He would. But first he would make her beg for mercy. Except that she couldn't beg since she couldn't speak… All she could do was look at him with her damn doe eyes and maybe touch him with her soft lips… He cursed the day he had ever laid eyes on her.

But then again, she had done him a huge favor. Thanks to her, he wasn't weak and pathetic anymore and he never would be. He marched to the parlor and glanced at his siblings. Elijah was holding Rebekah who was still sobbing. Well, she could only blame herself, she had betrayed her whole family by foolishly falling for a hunter. Kol on the other hand seemed to be in an excellent mood, he had blood all over his face and a wine goblet in his hand. He and Klaus had finished off the Brotherhood of the Five for good.

"Brother!" Kol greeted him cheerfully. "I am in the mood for some dessert, care to join me?"

"Yes," Klaus replied smirking. "I believe so. The night is still young. And so are the lovely maidens who aided those hunters by distracting us."

"Niklaus," Elijah stated tensely. "Those girls are innocent; I do not think they understood what they were doing…"

"Who cares," Kol snorted. "Come on, Nik, let's go and have some fun!"

Klaus glanced at Elijah before following Kol. For a very brief moment he saw something strange in Elijah's eyes. Not judgment, not accusation, not even his typical fatigue. No, what Klaus thought he saw was guilt. Klaus didn't give the matter much thought, it didn't interest him. He had much more important things on mind.

* * *

Valencia, 2 days later

Tristan pressed his lips together and took a quick look around. Fortunately there was no sight of Lucien. The whole thing was nothing but ridiculous. Nadine was Tristan's wife for heaven's sake; Lucien had no right to stop him from speaking to her. The only reason why Tristan had waited for this long was simple; he hadn't wanted to upset Nadine by fighting with her brother. And he had needed to look after poor Aurora. Now Nadine was finally alone, sitting in the garden. Cautiously Tristan approached her, she was staring in front of her and her hands were folded in her lap.

"Nadine? May I speak with you?"

She didn't say anything; he waited for a moment before sitting down next to her.

"Nadine?"

"Don't," she said quietly, avoiding his hand when he reached for hers. "Please."

He felt a nasty sting, but he had no intention to give up. She was his wife, the woman he loved more than anything. Nothing could ever change that.

"Nadine, please hear me out. I know things are a mess, but I need you to know that I love you. I couldn't bear the thought of you hating me…"

"I don't hate you," she murmured, she was still staring in front of her.

"What?"

She sighed tiredly and looked at him.

"I don't hate you, Tristan."

He wasn't sure how to reply.

"That's…nice to hear."

She smiled, although there was something sad about her smile.

"You have been a good husband and a good maker and I sincerely thank you for that."

"No…" he murmured. "If you mean this is a goodbye…"

The next thing he realized was her twining her arms around the back of his neck, pulling his head down. A tear rolled down her cheek when her lips brushed feather like against his.

"Please, don't make this any harder," she pleaded.

His eyes widened.

"What? Nadine, what are you talking about?"

She pulled away and cleared her throat.

"Lucien wants to leave."

"No," Tristan said firmly and took her hand.

"He needs me," Nadine said quietly.

" **I** need you," Tristan argued. "You are my wife."

She was quiet for a moment before replying.

"Yes, I am and it would be a lie to say that our years together would have been meaningless to me. I could try to deny it because of…our past, but the truth is that I do love you. I can't simply turn it off, even if I would want to."

For a moment Tristan was speechless. He hadn't expected this. Nadine leaned closer and touched his cheek.

"It's strange…." she murmured. "A part of me wishes that I could hate you. It would make this a lot easier."

"Don't go," he murmured.

"Lucien needs some time," Nadine sighed. "Right now he is a mess, you have seen that. I need to be there for him. Can you understand that?"

No, Tristan certainly couldn't. At the moment he truly hated Lucien.

"I am not asking you to wait for me…" Nadine continued, but Tristan interrupted her by capturing her mouth in a fiery kiss.

"I will wait for you," he murmured in her ear. "As long as I have to."


	33. Chapter 33

**Author's note**

After careful consideration, I decided to end this story here, like I originally planned. About the sequel, I have some ideas for it, but I'm not sure yet when I'll start writing it. Thank you all for reading :)


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